Love fuels Kweller's inspired debut and makes it a classic

Sha Sha\nBen Kweller\nATO Records/BMG\nTexas native Ben Kweller was 15 when his up-and-coming band Radish was being hyped as the "next Nirvana" -- this at a time when the rest of us didn't even have drivers licenses. By the time he was 18, they'd split up. Now at 20, he's avoided the needle-drag pratfalls of many child phenoms, relocated to Brooklyn and gone on to make one hell of a solid solo debut with Sha Sha.\nImagine a super-grouping of Ben Folds, Pavement and Weezer filtered through a single individual and that will give you some semblance of the genius contained within Kweller's singing/songwriting. And Sha Sha is a great venue for his unbridled talent. There's not a weak track on the album, certainly some are better than others, but still, that's rare. Kweller's unique brand of guitar and piano driven power pop is infectiously catchy, fusing folk and punk in equal parts -- Sha Sha, in essence, is the ideal sing-along record. \nThe album kicks off in high style with its second track "Wasted and Ready," an oddly hilarious tune concerning disjointed romantic relationships. "In Other Words," the album's centerpiece features piano pyrotechnics that would make Elton John blush. In the Pavement-esque "Walk On Me" and "Make It Up" Kweller continues to spew lyrics of young love gone wrong with an underlying air of hope. The influence of Weezer and a cadre of other college geek rockers can clearly be seen on the infinitely catchy "No Reason" and "Harriet's Got a Song." The album's closer "Falling," is eerily reminiscent of the best works churned out by Ben Folds Five.\nLove is a recurring theme on Sha Sha, and rightfully so, Kweller is a young man in his prime -- grappling with and discovering the nature of love. For such a thinly focused album, Kweller mines it for all it's worth and churns out a modern-day classic. I'm just curious to see what this talented young musician tackles as he broadens his horizons in future efforts. \n

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