Benny Sings

Looking back on the life of Benny Sings’ :
June 2003: Dutch release of the debut album Champagne People positively reviewed by the ciritcs:
“Prince and Stevie Wonder quotes stand gracefully next to airy pop melodies and jazzy chords that could easily have come from Steely Dan... This is the kind of repertoire that Hall and Oats would die for. Benny Sings has made a record which is as original as it is commercial, and that’s a rarity” (de Volkskrant review).
summer Benny was featured at the biggest open air festivals of the Netherlands: Lowlands & Uitmarkt Amsterdam
Early 2004: Benny won the Dutch Essent Award for young music talent;
Gigs with Noorderslag festival and clubs followed
Spring: Belgian release of Champagne People.
Summer: The song ‘Champagne People’ appears in a Dove chocolate advert;
A vinyl release of Champagne People is released worldwide on the label Kindred Spirits/Rushhour..
*) In addition to his ‘Benny Sings’ solo project, Tim van Berkestijn continues to act as composer and producer in the soul band ‘Heavenly Social ‘ with Miss Dee. Van Berkestijn composes the song Beggars for Sun for the solo album Cereal of C-mon, and he remixes for the Only Child project on Grand Central (UK). In addition, he creates soundtracks for several theatrical plays and feature film projects.

Different from the debut album Champagne People, which was conceived and executed in the quiet focus of Benny’s home studio, the second album, I Love You, is recorded live in the Amsterdam venue, the Bimhuis. Benny wrote the music on the way to his next commitment* and he arranged the new songs live on stage with the band. “The first album was in fact the beginning of a new life, Benny says “Before Champagne People and during my studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, my life and music mostly took place in my mind. After Champagne People, things started happening and I got busy living it. And this album is the celebration of that: a tribute to the here and now and to the lightness of my new existence.”

When his first album came out, Benny Sings was compared to various legends in the history of pop. “People gave me Tod Rundgren, Hall & Oats and The Alessi Brothers records because they heard a resemblance. But I hardly listen to music these days- except in preparation for the gig at the Bimhuis when I did study the perfection of Baccarach’s songs.”

I Love You is a selection of feel-good songs with a hint of the occasional hang-over. A remarkable and refreshing demonstration of pop music devoid of weird sound effects or complicated bass riffs that detract from the catchy melodies. Benny explains “the music has no second thoughts or edges and no rebellion, except against the rebels. For this CD, we wasted little thought or energy on coming up with a style. We were just busy with the challenge of writing music and lyrics that added up to a complete and fulfilling pop song.”

Thus Benny Sings created I Love You, the sequel to Champagne People. In the second album Benny collaborated again with co-producer Bart Suèr. Suèr finds it inspiring to work with Benny: “For a young musician to play these slow-beat and relaxed songs shows a particular confidence. When we re-arranged Champagne People into a live act with a band (drums, bass, keyboards, backing vocals and a horn section), we felt the test of winning the audience over with this cool-tempo. It became Benny Sings’ successful trademark. And even though the live gig I Love You uses more and bigger tempo changes, the party songs are still relaxed and smiling.” Benny adds, grinning ironically: “Playing live did change my music and changed me as a person too. On stage with a mic and then the applause… it’s the perfect cure for depression.”