A musician has become renowned for his evocative vocals, well-crafted lyrics, and distinct Americana vibe, William Ben Brooks was born and raised in Southern Oklahoma. Refining his sound in the cool shade of the Arbuckle Mountains and the endless turns of the promiscuous Red River, William is a child of the sixties with a sound built on the timeless sounds of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens. With sultry vocals and a unique, charming sound, his music has won praise for its majestic quality and organic instrumentation, layering a grounded and unpretentious sound with lyrics that shines a light on topics such as loss, love, and the grand scheme of things.
With his music having been heard on ‘The Late Show’ with David Letterman and CBS's primetime comedy ‘How I Met Your Mother’, the international release of Adam Carolla's ‘The Hammer’, and a growing list of film credits including ‘The Dinner Party and ‘Underground New York’, William has already cut an impressive path through the music industry, bringing us all to his latest release, ‘A Broken Beast’.
His latest album, ‘A Broken Beast’ is a unique and expansive blend of raw, emotionally honest ballads and soaring folk-rock sounds. Featuring an impressive roster of Grammy and Emmy award-winning musicians who have helped bring the album to life, ‘A Broken Beast’ is a deft and wonderfully cultivated collection of tracks that built to intrigue and impress.
Opening with a textured stream of Southern-style guitar, the album rises from the silence with the immediacy of ‘And I Heard’, and massive song steeped in heavy, rolling anthemics and distinct rustic charm. It’s instantly impressive, setting the tone for the album in perfect form. Third track remedy brings into focus some wondrous psychedelic vibes, offering a sweet, guitar sound and unyielding hook, while ‘Too Soon’ fires on all cylinders with rough electric guitar chops and soaring, immutable vocals.
Offering a more emotive and delicate side to the album, tracks such as ‘The Beauty of It All’ emerges as a timeless, piano-driven ballad, cutting a melancholic but hopeful sound that is impossible to deny. While diverse in sound, there is a constant vein of truth and emotional honesty that brings every song together, creating a real sense of intimacy between William and his audience, particularly on stirring, emotive classics such as ‘Blindside’ and ‘In This Room’.
A triumph in every perceivable way, ‘A Broken Beast’ is an album of depth, heart, and emotional honesty, offering a series of tactile and moving songs that linger on the palate and capture the essence of life’s most intimate moments. A powerful introduction to William’s talent for the uninitiated, as well as a work of absolute and unyielding soul, ‘A Broken Beast’ is well on its way to becoming a modern American classic.
A touching collaborative effort, you can stream a medley of ‘A Broken Beast’ in the video above, or find the album on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Play, and Spotify today.
Score: 8.5/10
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