Real Thing (Blue Cloud Records, 2007), the second album from American singer-songwriter Ben Carroll, is a collection of 11 original songs that expose Carroll's deep soul and folk influences, and tell stories of longing, strength, dissolution, murder and passion. Real Thing was produced with Ben’s dad Jon Carroll, a Grammy-winning artist and veteran arranger/producer. The record was released October 1, 2007 on Blue Cloud Records, the new sister label of Orchid Classics, in London, UK. Since then Real Thing has been added to the playlists and aired on 50+ FM and satellite radio stations around the US, Canada and Germany, including holding at number 1 on WDPS in Dayton, OH for 5 weeks, and number 10 on WVIA in Pittston, PA for 2 weeks.
"Real Thing...Yes he is. I’ve seen this handsome and charismatic New Yorker perform with just an acoustic guitar, and he killed. Possessing a clear, sweet voice and a satchel full of catchy folk-pop songs about life and love...It’s a throwback sound, kinda early Nilsson, but more upbeat."
-Dusty Wright, Culture Catch
Lover Undercover (Luckytone Records, 2005) is Ben's debut album, selections from which (A Simple Kind, Dola Rosa, Angel's Arms, Lover Undercover) have received airplay on FM and Satellite radio, as well as placement on MTV and Country Music Television.
"There are no frills or large cinematic productions (on Lover Undercover), but rather the songs are unadorned, bare and vulnerable like a newborn baby, and enraptured in the same innocence." -Northeast In-Tune
Ben Carroll’s soulful, powerful voice lives somewhere at the crossroads of Stevie Wonder and James Taylor—he’s captivating, distinctive, mesmerizing. With the help of his accomplished acoustic guitar playing, he moves his audiences with his plaintive songwriting, written from the heart and with a thoughtful, sometimes keen eye, while exploring the endless themes of love, of a search for a place and meaning in the world. A soul and folk artist at once, Carroll has steadily toured North America and Europe as a solo act since 2004. He released his debut solo album Lover Undercover in 2005 and his followup Real Thing in 2007 (on UK label Blue Cloud Records), which was number 1 for five weeks on AAA FM Radio in Ohio and was played on over fifty radio stations in the US and Europe. His songs have also been featured in television and film, most recently in Pier’s End Productions’ 2008 release “Wake”, which premiered at the Tribeca Cinema in New York City (home of the Tribeca Film Festival). Amore Magazine's reader poll voted Carroll a top solo artist, and his songwriting and performances have been celebrated by the New York Songwriters Circle and BMI New York.
Coming from a musical family as the son of Grammy-winning Starland Vocal Band members ("Afternoon Delight", 1976), Carroll enjoyed a rich musical exposure in his childhood, chiefly in the veins of harmony-laden folk and pop of the 70s, and the R&B/Soul/Roots sounds of the deep south. These influences have been naturally integrated into his music, lustrously evoked by his poetic delivery and his voice of startling honesty and beauty.
Hello, it's me, Ruby Jane. I am a 14 year old fiddler, songwriter. I have some songs posted that are fresh out of the studio...be one of the first to hear, even before they are released! Let me know what you think!!! Thanks! Ruby Jane
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