Ben Jelen's Back

Ben Jelen became an overnight success with the MTV teen crowd back in 2004 with his hit Come On. Not entirely satisfied with the direction his music was going, Ben retired from the limelight for several years to regroup and redefine himself. Well, his self appointed disappearing act is over, and he's back with his sophomore effort, Ex-Sensitive.

Like The OaKs, who I wrote about a few days ago, Ben took part of his time away to give back to the world around him. He found time to work with the Natural Resources Defense Council, tour extensively for Rock the Vote and Live for Darfur, donate charity tracks to WasteNotMusic.com, Amnesty International, and Tori Amos’ RAINN, march against global warming, share the stage with Wyclef Jean, Marc Anthony, Moby, Maroon 5, and Rufus Wainwright at benefit concerts across the US, establish the Ben Jelen Foundation for the Environment, protest the war, and do work with the United Nations. Also like The OaKs, Ben's dedication to the planet shows up in his music

The album has a well produced dynamic sound which reminds me of Queen (both in the instrumental realm as well as echoes of Freddie Mercury's voice in Ben's - listen to Vulnerable below to see what I mean). The album came out over the summer, so there's no reason for you not to pick up a copy. Check out these tracks if you need to be convinced.


Ben Jelen - Pulse : Ex-Sensitive

Ben Jelen - Vulnerable : Ex-Sensitive

and a bonus acoustic version:

Ben Jelen - Mr. Philosopher (acoustic) : studio version on Ex-Sensitive

Visit his website, his label Custard Records, and become his friend on MySpace.

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Queen - You're My Best Friend : A Night At The Opera