EP REVIEW : Ben Stevenson – Dirty Laundry

Ben Stevenson released Dirty Laundry EP in November 2014, since then he has been nominated at the  Juno Awards for Best R&B/Soul Recording of The Year with tracks including ‘Summer Dealer’ and ‘Imagining You’.  Originally from Edmonton, Stevenson got his start in the punk band Misdemeanor at the age of 15 before they evolved into the band Our Mercury. When the band parted ways after 12 years together, Stevenson relocated to Toronto to pursue his solo artist career in 2008.

Having said that, he wrote this album in reflection of his personal struggles with the move. His songs can be characterised with a sense of strong emotions. His voice resonates as soulfully fluid, almost reminiscent to Sam Smith, just a bit higher. What makes to album so great is that songs have the ability bring you back to a specific moment or feeling that you had in your life and lets you reminisce.

One of his strong songs is ‘Still’ which is an accurate depiction of seeing an ex-lover move on with lyrics like:

Do you love her like I still do?
Is it better like that for you?
Are you thinking girl, I still do!
Can you feel it? I still do!

His newest song, ‘Imagining You’, is a deeply rhythmic confession of thinking about what his dream woman would be like. The album finishes with the best song, ‘Start Over’, that is beautiful with its simplicity. His voice, a guitar and lyrics that leaving you longing for more.Stevenson is an artist with genuine talent.

Track list:
Summer Dealer
Ecstasy
Still
Imaging You
Girls Like You
Love Could Be
Start Over

Catch Ben Stevenson preforming at the JUNO Fest on Friday, March 13. More details can be found at www.junoawards.ca