International Blues/Rock/Soul guitarist, singer and songwriter Ben Poole released his brand new studio album Anytime You Need Me a couple of months back.
Anytime You Need Me was recorded at Superfly Studios in Ollerton, Nottinghamshire produced by Wayne Proctor.
“It was an absolute joy to work again with Wayne,” says Ben. “He has a great ear and knows me well as an artist, and the result is amazing.”
To celebrate Ben is heading out on a 14-date UK tour this week, which stops off at The Stables next Thursday (Nov 22).
The new studio album marks a point in Ben’s career where he feels he’s really found himself as an all- round guitarist, singer and song-writer.
The best representation on a studio record so far of the attitude, energy and excitement that he brings to his live shows. The album is a melting pot of rock, blues and soul but with a pop sensibility in the songwriting allowing it to feel accessible throughout.
The overall sound showcases a lot of grit and a swagger, with special emphasis on guitar tones and instrumental performances from everyone who played on the album.
On Anytime You Need Me, Ben was ready to do something harder hitting and more guitar based than his previous album, Time Has Come. The main focus was still on writing great songs but with far more focus on Ben as an artist.
He kept the team small and avoided having too much outside influence on the direction of the music. Ben co-wrote the album with his two writing partners, Wayne Proctor and Steve Wright.
“We basically locked ourselves away regularly over a period of around six months at a studio in the hills of North Wales writing and demoing the majority of the tunes on this album from scratch”, says Ben.
“It’s the first time I’ve worked in this way and, though it was challenging to force myself to conjure a creative mind-set on cue when in a room with two other songwriters whom I’d never written with before, I think the results are really rewarding. I’m extremely proud of this album. This is who I am.”
Drum, bass, guitar and vocal melodies were crafted carefully at the North Wales studio with the idea that if the songs sounded interesting and exciting in a basic three-piece format then the overdubs would be minimised and would merely be the icing on the cake.
Says Ben, “Rather than having multiple layers of guitar parts, one of our main aims was to always try and just have one big sounding guitar part to run through the whole song...which in turn would give it a performance element and a live feel.”
Classic Rock Magazine reckon Ben is “truly astonishing," while the inimitable Jeff Beck calls him “f***ing amazing!”
Tickets for all concerts can be booked from http://benpooleband.com/live
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