Brendan Benson

Startime International's 2003 reissue of Brendan Benson's One Mississippi (originally released by Virgin in 1996) is a welcome and well-done album sure to get anyone who dug Benson's Lapalco LP very excited. Lapalco was a great record propelled by a warm and organic sound and some classic songs. In 1996 Benson's sound was a little less organic, the arrangements busier and more radio-ready. It is still a great sounding record full of quirks and sonic surprises. The songs are wonderfully energetic and hooky, many being co-written by fellow power pop revivalist Jason Falkner and showing his influence. Benson has a tremendous rock voice too, bratty but tough. The best songs on One Mississippi like "Crosseyed" and "I'm Blessed" stand up to any modern power pop; in fact, you could even call the record a lost classic of the '90s if you wanted to be bold. Anyone who bought the record the first time around is going to want to pick the reissue up because it adds two tracks from the Japanese version of the record, the gritty tale of foreign intrigue "The Swamp" and the Prince-influenced helium pop/rocker "Jet Stream," and the very rare Wellfed Boy EP. The EP gathered up six tracks from a demo session done with Falkner. The demo is the same one that got Benson his ill-fated record deal and is a lo-fi gem. All but one of the songs made it onto One Mississippi; that song, "Christy," is a loud Beatlesque ballad that could easily have been on the record. This is a reissue done right and Benson's fans should be tickled various shades of pink over its arrival. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide