Featured Release : Ben Kweller

Fearless and freewheeling, Ben Kweller has earned a well-deserved reputation, as one of the most compelling musical artists of the day. At the tender age of 20, BK shows off his gift for crafty songwriting and kinetic performance with his ATO Records debut album, Sha Sha. Encompassing playful folkadelica, indie-punkpop and soaring ballads, Kweller's warm, whimsical wordplay and unstoppable power-pop hooks are in full effect on such tracks as "Wasted and Ready," and the piano-powered "In Other Words." Acclaimed by the Boston Herald as "a young, singing-songwriting wunderkind," the Brooklyn-based Kweller has spent the past few years winning over hearts with his eclectic, irresistible solo sets. Now, with Sha Sha, BK is set to spread his sound from coast to coast and beyond.

In his apartment on Smith St, Kweller started penning song after song, taking inspiration from NYC's anti-folk scene, but adding his own puckish pop spin. He soon began booking solo gigs opening for folks like Evan Dando, Juliana Hatfield, Jeff Tweedy, and Guster - like-minded artists who saw a similar spirit in Kweller.

BK blossomed in Brooklyn and more solo acoustic shows, supporting the likes of Creeper Lagoon, Eels, and Dashboard Confessional, saw him veering between battered guitar and piano, reveling in his autonomous freedom. In 2000, BK self-released Freak Out, It's Ben Kweller, an organic introduction to his new sound, highlighted by the Vanilla Ice parody, "BK Baby." He followed that collection in late 2001 with his 5-track ATO Records debut, E.P. Phone Home, which features a handful of bedroom recordings and Sha Sha demos.

Finally, BK is ready to unleash his full-length solo debut. Throughout Sha Sha, BK shows off his mastery of classic songcraft. The album opening "How It Should Be (Sha Sha)" - featuring backing vocals from the Moldy Peaches' Kimya Dawson - demonstrates the profound and lasting influence of the Velvets' "I'm Sticking With You," while "No Reason" and "Harriet's Got A Song" are the best pop tunes Stephen Malkmus never wrote. A lifelong fan of an old-fashioned sing-along, Kweller truly digs the value of a well-placed "ba-ba-ba" hook - see the magical "Falling" for proof.

Recorded in NYC during the summer of 2001 with producer Stephen Harris (Dave Matthews Band, U2), Sha Sha sees BK backed by, among others, bassist Josh Lattanzi and old friend and drummer from Radish, John Kent. The album pops with the same infectious energy of BK's acoustic performances and home recordings, though fleshed out to feature a more fully realized sonic approach.

While many modern artists are all too ready to box themselves in, BK's musical and lyrical focus is refreshingly kaleidoscopic. From the front porch wistfulness of the country-tinged "Family Tree," to the hints of pagan mythology that inform "Make It Up," to the numerous junk culture references that permeate the entire album, Ben Kweller seemingly knows no boundaries.