Braveface

Esser’s hits at all hot parties these spring and summer

The 23 year old British singer Ben Esser professionally known simply as Esser attracted the audience’s attention last year releasing his single I Love You and today his splendid debut album Braveface is released. This rather eccentric young man wearing noticeable clothes and a provoking hair cut knows how to make good pop music oriented mostly on the younger part of the listeners. He used to play drums in a rock band Ladyfuzz, participated in tour’s with a band playing famous hits and actively did different things having to do with music until it has finally come time to launch his solo career. Today he has already become one of the most popular British musicians and the hits from Braveface are surely going to played at all hot student parties these spring and summer. There is a great topical variety on the album the main theme being love of course and it offers stylish danceable tunes each of which is sure to linger in your mind for quite some time.

Varied music on Braveface

According to the performer himself pop music can also be ‘fascinating’ and on his part he does his best to prove his statement. Esser’s music on Braveface is wonderfully simple and can be simultaneously associated with such artists as Lily Allen, Pet Shop Boys and Hot Chip and the vocals are at times reminiscent of the early Blur. The record opens with quite a frank track Satisfied about how difficult it is to satisfy women pleasing with a wonderful piano introduction which all the Russian listeners are sure to recognize at once, and a sultry tune reminds of Ricky Martin’s songs. Another potential hit Headlock conquers with a great electronic arrangement and a memorable chorus which you are sure to sing during the following several weeks while another single Work It Out is remarkable for a complicated vocals’ production. The title composition Braveface occupies the central composition on the album and gives an interesting story to the listeners revealing some Esser’s thoughts about life which definitely makes it close to millions of young people as the artist sings in a very simple and sincere manner here. One of the album’s danceable highlights is a contagious, self-confident and bold Stop Dancing without which none of the parties are going to exist in the nearest future for sure and the single I Love You proves to be a great example of how a love confession can be made with humor and yet the one making it remains honest and even vulnerable. The album closes with another danceable number Long Arms, on which Esser’s vocals gain power and the drums and guitar seem to go dancing themselves.

One of the year’s most promising debuts

Despite the album consisting of 10 songs only it gives rather a full idea of what Esser’s creative work is like and what we can expect from him in future. It is actually worth while expecting. The point is that it is quite an undertaking to define Braveface’s primary audience at once. There afre compositions on it taking us back to the late 80s as well as, on the contrary, some ultramodern moments. Stylistically Braveface is as rich as it is thematically – the elements of such genres as electronica, hip-hop, reggae and ska meet in these tracks and all of them are arranged in a perfectly right musical pattern which makes Esser a new idol of the young generation. For now he is well known in Great Britain and some parts of Europe but the album Braveface is sure to open him for the whole world. Besides this bold nugget’s own image tells of his originality revealed not only in music but in life, too. Thus Esser’s debut can be rightfully called one of the most promising this year and serving a springboard for his surely brilliant career.