Ben Knighten

on 2011-08-24 Michael_Morrison Said:

Most would wager most popular artists out there have something truly special to give to their fans. This goes above the typical attributes like raw talent, amazing songs, nice voice, or even a very marketable look, sound & image. There's something truly infectious at the core of these artists that simply makes us feel good when we listen to them. Whatever "it" is - they all seem to have "it."



Today I listened to the latest CD from Colorado singer/songwriter Ben Knighten (All I Want - 2011. Venturing to his website it is a very professional presentation showing this is his debut release. From start to finish this CD from Knighten is very pleasurable. It has a very soothing Acoustical quality to it, & Even dabbles in Folk, Pop Rock, & even Alternative Rock. Any fans of any of these musical styles will enjoy this latest release from Knighten. It's clearly marketed for those who like a male singer with a mystique of say a Jack Johnson, or a Rob Thomas. I get the impression Knighten is rolling with what he knows as a performer. In other words he may not have the legendary vocal ability but who cares he hits the mark remarkably well just being who he is. Favorite tracks include (The Dreams you Dream), (Away) & (The Open Door). Within each one of these compositions Knighten finds his soul & delivers musical mojo. His band is spot on & just makes the whole CD even more enjoyable with hints on Mandolin, Drums, Bass, Piano. The overall vibe is upbeat & positive.

I see Knighten as a diamond in the rough. As time goes by he will no doubt refine & fine-tune his overall sound & musical personality. I am eager to hear what his next release will sound like.



In close most famous artists out there have "it" I'm not so sure what it but Ben Knighten has whatever "it" may be.



Kendell Cross

edited by Michael Morrison
Rating: 7/10 - Music Emissions

Over the years we’ve seen rock & hard rock slowly erode into over-commercialized, corporate puppet shows providing music that is extremely sing songy, predictable, popish & highly corporate. I hereby call this new breed of music “Poser Rock” & I want to personally thank all the corporate giants for successfully transforming “Sex Drugs & Rock n Roll” into “Yoga, Vitamins, & Nikelback” Of course millions of musical lemmings don’t know the difference, but not everyone is amused. Talking to many music fans out there the response is overwhelming. Give me something new, something raw, something that’s pushes the envelope with a fresh sound that doesn’t leave it soul at the door. Something that doesn’t sound like Nikelback, Daughtry or Lifehouse.
So across my desk slides the new CD by Colorado’s own Ben Knighten entitled “All I Want.” What I heard put a smile on my face. It’s a nice easy flowing record that delivers solid songwriting with a nice folkish-rock feel. Knighten reminds me of a modern day Jack Johnson, Rob Thomas, with maybe a hint of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers & even Counting Crows. You will also hear a side of Power Pop, Americana & Classic Rock & even Folk. If you like the above bands you should definitely check out this CD. My favorite track is probably “The Open Door” CD is available on CD BABY & can be downloaded on I – Tunes.
My only criticism – The overall CD is not nearly to the sound quality level of other professional grade CD’s out there. However the songwriting is clearly better than what’s out there right now.
“All I Want” by Ben Knighten is clearly a solid release with many feel good rock grooves with a pleasant rock driven guitar sound that is a pleasure to listen to. It’s a record that gives us a fresh glimpse at an amazing artist & takes us back a few years – before everything started sounding like – well Nikelback.
By: Michael Morrison - Skope Magazine

The Artist I recently checked out the latest CD from singer/songwriter Ben Knighten entitled All I Want. Knighten hails from Colorado.

The band The playing abilities of Knighten & his band are pretty solid across the board. I would say they possess intermediate playing abilities & above average writing abilities. Timing seems to be spot on within the indie-alternative rock grooves. Knighten's voice is effective as he delivers many solid vocal performances that match the indie style of music perfectly. The music Upbeat, funny, interesting, thought provoking, melodic, & highly entertaining. Musical textures reminiscent of Jack Johnson, Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas & even Kenny Loggins – anything indie & fun. If you like those kinds of artists you will no doubt get a kick out of this CD. The songs Above average songs. Very simple yet effective, conservative, highly original, & passionate It strikes the prefect balance between alternative & just a dash of Indie folk. Knighten & company are clearly being themselves as songwriters & this is what comes out of the other end. My favorite song on the CD is the "Remember Me." The vibe Great vibe. Perfect for late night college parties, coffeehouses, or even magazine shops. The production delivers a lot of musical variety. Honorable mentions go out to amazing guitar & production virtuoso of Ian. I give him hi marks for not being afraid to let it all hang out musically. Knighten is not trying to be some popish artist striving for mass appeal – he’s just being himself. The CD refuses to try to hard – that’s what makes it so amazing The good Very likeable, marketable record – amazing songs, fun to listen to. The bad Nothing to report. The ugly Nothing to report.

The verdict All I Want by Ben Knighten is a rock solid CD. The songwriting is clearly above average. The production gets it’s point across. Again the most amazing thing about this CD is Knighten's vocals & guitar playing. He’s clearly a premier talent. Fans of carefree Alternative-College Rock will love this CD no doubt.
Markus Druery
Indieshark Music Critic
- Indie Shark

Indie Music Critic "Pick of the Week""
- Donny Harvey, Indie Music Critic (Apr 23, 2011) - Indie Music Critic

Colorado singer, songwriter Ben Knighten releases his latest CD entitled All I Want in 2011. Band members include Ben Knighten (Guitars, Piano, Vocals) Matt Bensen (Bass), Jim Hicks (Back-up Vocals) Stephen Andrews (Drums) & Bill Benson (Mandolin).

The CD gently takes flight with “The Dreams you Dream” a soothing acoustic lullaby that gradually builds into a passionate rock ballad complete with catchy vocal melody & a grand slam chorus. This intro track sets the tone rather well for this CD, with it’s feel good groove & passionate musical vibe. Track 2 “All I Want” dishes out yet another impressive track with its steady flowing rock rhythms, & heartfelt vocal melody from Knighten. Track 3 “Away” serves up yet another solid track with clever lyrical content, soothing melodies & impressive vocal flair again from Knighten. As the CD slowly unfolds I can hear many musical influences reminiscent of classic Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews Band, Counting Crows, & even a dash of Rob Thomas. This CD makes a pretty solid first impression. Right from the start you will notice rich musical textures overflowing everywhere, full of warmth, variety, passion & strong melodic structure. I would classify this music as acoustic pop rock, with a slight aftertaste of alternative folk. The songs themselves are addictive, & upbeat, complete with passionate & powerful subject matter. The musicianship of this band is pretty solid across the board. The players themselves write & play there parts extremely well. Besides the 4 piece standard you will also notice things like strings, well placed percussive accents, & lush harmonies layered along the way. Equally as impressive is the vocal presence of Knighten. Knighten takes many vocal risks throughout the CD indicating to me a strong & confident vocal ability. His voice sounds in the vein of Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20) & a dash of Tom Petty. All songs are short & sweet musical experiences, never too winded, never to short. From dynamic “Breaking Free” to heartfelt “Unattended Tree”& “The Open Door” & “Remember Me” to upbeat “Stepping Stones” & “Love is Unstoppable” this CD pretty much has something for just about everyone. The CD Ends with Track 11 “Beyond the Silence” a perfect finale statement for a CD of this caliber.

Though adequate - this mix is not what I would call legendary, cutting edge or groundbreaking. Because of this the production has lackluster production quality. The liner notes don’t identify who the Mixing & Mastering Engineers are so I suspect the Recording Engineer did all this work himself. No doubt it takes skill and engineering savvy to record, mix, & master a musical production to industry standards these days. The impact this will have on its overall marketability cannot be overstated. If this was 1981 this would be a cutting edge musical production, unfortunately its 2010, so the bar is set really high for independent artists like Knighten. Typically the best productions have a separate engineer assigned to each production phase. There are some notable syncopation errors between the drums & percussion on Track 7 “Stepping Stones” & a few timing errors on Track 9 “Love is Unstoppable”. All songs over 4 minutes tend to drag you to the finish line. Despite all the aforementioned issues the raw talent & amazing songwriting virtuoso of Ben Knighten shine through with amazing crystal clarity.

In close All I Want by Ben Knighten is a compelling musical production from start to finish. It’s strong suit – its amazing musical flow & amazing vocal presence from Knighten. The songs are extremely melodic, passionate, & very powerful. The songs are short & sweet musical experiences, each one possessing a unique personality, flair, & signature groove. Last but not least Ben Knighten has an amazing voice & Is an extremely capable songwriter. If I could say anything to Knighten right now – surround yourself with world class Mixing, Mastering, & Recording Engineers that can do your amazing music proper justice. Do this & you will give your audience a world class musical production they so rightfully deserve.



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An artist who simply pours out his or her heart can hardly fail to be compelling. Ben Knighten's All I Want is full of touching and meaningful music. Listening to this album is like sitting across the table from a dear friend in a smoky little coffee shop, late at night. That friend has questions. He has needs, and hopes and fears. Instead of just telling you about it, though, he sings (and plays guitar, piano and drums).

The style is quite simple. Clearly Ben Knighten subscribes to the theory that the music is all about serving the words. Take the piano work in “Beyond the Silence”, for instance. The same chord progression used throughout, in block chords and arpeggiated (broken up), is all he needs to support his voice. On the verses of “Breaking Free” the sparse guitar playing, and thumping heartbeat of a bare drum part, decorate the vocals more so than accompany them. It's a nice wedding of restraint on the part of the instruments and intensity in the singing that never fails to please the ears and bring out the meaning of the songs.

There's one minor production issue to be noted. On the opening track especially, but occasionally at other times also, the use of echo/reverb on Ben Knighten's voice is a little too much. He's got a nice voice. He doesn't need to record in a bathroom to sound good! Please don't let that stop you from listening to this wonderful music, though. It's an easily corrected thing that has little or nothing to do with the musician and everything to do with the studio/engineer/production.

“I want to see beyond the silence... touch what can't be found...” “How long will it take me to find the end of this road?” The words of the final song on the CD sound like he's soul searching, and really aren't we all? Sit down, have a cup of coffee, and see what he has to say. It will be worth your time to take a listen.



Key Tracks- Away, Remember Me, Beyond the Silence

Donny Harvey- MuzikReviews.com Staff

April 21, 2011

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