Folds is 'rockin'' with solo album

Chapel Hill's native son, Ben Folds, returns to the recording industry a little under a year after the disbandment of his ironically named trio, Ben Folds Five, with the inspired new solo album Rockin' the Suburbs.\nThe disc doesn't differentiate itself drastically from previous recordings made with his former collective. But Folds expands upon the comedic yet heartfelt elements, that made the previous works so winning, to churn out the best album of his already impressive career.\nListening to Rockin' the Suburbs evokes memories of piano men past. Folds certainly has the musical chops and pop sensibility of an early Billy Joel, while maintaining the sharp comedic edge of Randy Newman.\nRockin' the Suburbs finds its comedic footing on its title track. The tune skewers self-important, upper-middle class, white rockers with a dead-on Rage Against the Machine parody. Lyrically, the song is a self-deprecating piece exemplified by such lines as, "I'm rockin' the suburbs, just like Michael Jackson did, I'm rockin' the suburbs, except that he was talented." Essentially, the tune serves as a companion piece to "Underground," a blatant mockery of indie rock elitists, which appeared on Ben Folds Five's self-titled debut.\nFolds dismisses his trademark acerbic wit with the highly personal tracks, "Still Fighting It" and "The Luckiest," and in doing so, produces the best work of the album if not his career. "Still Fighting It" seems to stem from Folds' recent stint at fatherhood as well as his own relationship with his father. "The Luckiest" is an unabashedly romantic ballad that he penned for his wife. Both tunes are beautifully orchestrated ballads of both emotional and technical acuity.\nOther tracks which register particularly well, but to a somewhat lesser degree include: "Annie Waits," "Gone," "Losing Lisa" and "Not the Same." \nFolds produced the album alongside first time collaborator Ben Grosse, replacing longtime Folds co-producer Caleb Southern. Grosse -- best known for his previous work with Fuel and Filter -- and Folds prove to be a winning team. The collaboration spurs the cleanest, sharpest and most robust sound of all of Folds' albums. \nRockin' the Suburbs is an incredibly focused piece of power pop that proves Ben Folds as an immensely capable solo artist to be reckoned with.