Ben Jelen’s debut album, GIVE IT ALL AWAY (Maverick), showcases a self-taught musician whose introspective songs are balanced by an optimistic belief in new beginnings
Over lush instrumentation, Jelen tells a poet’s tale. His lyrics explore the burn of passion, the nostalgia that remains when the fire cools, and the bittersweet emotions at each end of the spectrum.
Jelen (pronounced Yellin) is a traveler, scholar, lyricist, and musician. Music was the constant throughout frequent moves from Scotland to England, Texas, New Jersey, and finally, New York. Always in a new place, he never formed a band of his own, but practiced solo on piano, violin, and guitar. In college – he earned a biology degree from Rutgers University – Jelen finally got on stage while sitting in with friends at occasional gigs. He fed on the thrill of connecting to an audience that was focused and moving to his rhythms. At each performance, Jelen poured his songs into the piano and everyone knew they were in on something special. After graduation, he committed entirely to music and made the move to Manhattan.
He found work as a producer and sound engineer in a recording studio, where late at night he began working on his own demo tape. As his songs took shape, they reflected a nomadic upbringing, his hand-to-mouth existence, and a free-spirited approach to life. The lucky star that had guided Jelen through his travels around the world led him to his next chance encounter at a Jane’s Addiction show.
At the concert, he met a music executive that would prove instrumental in helping the young artist get his songs heard. That executive’s name was Joseph Janus – CEO of Fearless Management – a New York-based artist management firm. Impressed by Jelen’s charisma, he took a listen to Jelen’s demo. Within days, Janus signed on as Ben’s manager and a scheduled a meeting to with Guy Oseary, the head of Madonna’s Maverick Recording Company. Oseary, the champion of popular artists like Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch, listened once before inviting Jelen to join the label. Ben jumped at the chance.
“My musical process is organic and emotional, and Maverick was willing to let me be who I am,” he reveals, “I write songs about things that have stirred and inspired me, and I record when my feelings are fresh to preserve those emotions.”
Few young artists possess the ability to write, produce, and perform their own material on their first album, but Jelen was offered the opportunity to do just that. He partnered with respected producers like The Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, Liz Phair) and the Berman Brothers. Legendary mixer, Jack Joseph Puig (No Doubt, Beck, Black Crowes) heard Ben’s rough cut only once before moving the singer/songwriter’s project to the top of his long waiting list.
“The music industry is full of a lot of mediocrity,” Puig states frankly. “I found Ben and his songs to be compelling and fresh. Ben Jelen is not an accident and will be with us for a while.”
GIVE IT ALL AWAY is an album that makes creative use of unconventional elements. Banjo, strings, and Celtic sounds are laced throughout the album in a way that combines authentic, traditional sounds with rock riffs and popular sensibilities. Each cut reveals more about this new artist. “Come On,” chronicles the ups and downs of a long-distance relationship, “Slow Down,” recalls the innocence of childhood, and “Stay” is the heart-racing happiness at the beginning of a new love.
Ben explains, “I don’t write just one type of song,” Ben explains, “I write what I see, do, and feel. The blood boiling when you’re angry, you’re pulse racing when you’re excited – that’s what’s important. When I feel like that, the song already exists in my mind and I just start writing.”
Ben Jelen’s debut album presents a series of songs that combine thoughtful lyrics, pop flourishes, and musical craftsmanship. Maverick Recording Company will release GIVE IT ALL AWAY in March 2004.
