​Ben Chapman (from the album Downbeat

​Ben Chapman (from the album Downbeat

​Ben Chapman (from the album Downbeat available on Hippie Shack Records) (by Brian Rock)
Nashville Singer/Songwriter Ben Chapman gets down on his debut album, Downbeat. The well-respected songwriter (with cuts by Shelby Lynne, Flatland Cavalry, The Steel Woods, and others,) finally steps from the sidelines into the spotlight. With a unique style that’s equal parts Guy Clark, Lowell George, and Chirs Robinson, Ben Chapman creates funky, down-home music that’s ideal for singing, stomping, or sipping along with on your back porch.
A walking bass line introduces the title track as Chapman sings ‘this place gets scary after dark’. Describing the kind of dive bar where newcomers are definitely not welcome, he adds, ‘I’m breaking a sweat and it ain’t even warm’. The sense of foreboding is finally broken with the arrival of Hammond organ and funky lead guitar licks as he declares, ‘when the downbeat comes everything’s alright’. Suddenly, the bikers and brawlers forget their tension and look to the band. From his vantage point on the stage, Chapman witnesses firsthand the power of music to bring people together. His mellow, Southern-Fried Funk is a calming balm for troubled souls.
“Baby Don’t Cry, It’s Saturday Night” offers a Cosmic Cowboy/Grateful Dead word of encouragement for the despondent. Ben Chapman reminds us that for every rainy day, there’s a day of sunshine, and for every Monday life brings there’s also a Saturday to unwind. Summarizing, he sings ‘if things ain’t lookin’ up, you might as well get down’. “If I Was You” leans into Lenny Kravitz-style heavy Funk to advise his lover she’d probably be better off without him. “America’s Sweetheart” uses Heartland Rock rhythms to tell the story of a heartland dreamer who ends up destitute on the streets of L.A. when her dreams fall through. Channeling his inner Lowell George, Ben Chapman sings a funky road Blues on “Almost Home”. Recounting the tribulations of life on the road, he moans ‘pick up a guitar, hope it’s in tune. Life ain’t nothing but the 12-bar Blues. Halfway broke from paying my dues, I’m trying like hell to get back to you’. Hoping for a different outcome than the subject of his pervious tune, he reminds us how much musicians give up to share their dream with the world.
Slowing the pace, Ben Chapman brings a poignant and personal tone to his ballads. “Temporary High” continues chronicling the hardships of life on the road. Weary from the grind, he admits ‘the gold is losing its glitter’. Trying to offset the toll of the road, he tries alcohol and Adderall, but the weepy pedal steel betrays the truth that ‘there’s no kinda low like a temporary high’. “Finish What You Started” is a organ-tinged, heart wrenching plea to ‘don’t leave me half broken hearted’. “Star of Monterrey” is a bittersweet, Cosmic Cowboy ode to an enigmatic lover who ‘comes and goes like the seasons’. Paying tribute to one of his influences, he does a faithful cover of Bob Dylan’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here with You”. Combining Country, Folk, and Rock, Ben Chapman shares a tender declaration of love on “Don’t You Dare”. Singing ‘I got to wonderin’ who I am if I’m not yours’ he confesses the depth of his entanglement with his lover. Showing his vulnerability, he sings ‘I ain’t going anywhere. So, if you’re thinking ‘bout breaking my heart, don’t you dare’. Singing about love, life on the road, and living your dream, Ben Chapman shares life’s adventures with the casual ease of an old friend sharing stories after being away for too long. (by Brian Rock)
Listen and buy the music of the Ben Chapman from AMAZON
 
For more information, please visit Ben Chapman website