So There
by Ben Folds
  • Record Label: New West
  • Release Date: Sep 11, 2015
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
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  1. AllMusic
    Sep 10, 2015
    80
    So There is both ambitious and down-to-earth, impeccably constructed, and utterly accessible.
  2. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 8, 2015
    80
    This album has its dancing shoes straddling very different musical camps and somehow manages to bind them together with skill and personality.
  3. Uncut
    Sep 8, 2015
    70
    Folds' heady tunes sparkle in these unconventional settings. [Oct 2015, p.75]
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  5. Punknews.org (Staff)
    Nov 16, 2015
    60
    The yMusic songs certainly sound like Ben Folds music, except that they are frustratingly safe.
  6. PopMatters
    Oct 5, 2015
    60
    There are only a couple truly great songs here, so the aforementioned first section doesn’t rival much of his prior output. All things considered, though, So There still packs plenty of strong melodies, lyrics, and vocals, and the wise contributions yMusic scatters throughout the duration are impeccable.
  7. Magnet
    Sep 22, 2015
    60
    The pop tunes are as good as any that Folds has written.... The "Concerto" tries too hard to be Gershwin or Richard Rogers, but lacks the flow of "Rhapsody In Blue" or the drama of "Slaughter On 10th Avenue." [No. 124, p.57]
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  8. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Sep 16, 2015
    60
    Folds just doesn’t seem to have the same grip on likable, semi-charming songwriting he once did.
  9. Exclaim
    Sep 16, 2015
    60
    So There, Ben Fold's collaborative LP with yMusic (a classical sextet from New York) is poppy, ambitious and bold. Yet despite clocking in at nearly an hour--including a 20-minute-long concerto for piano and orchestra with the Nashville Symphony--the new record feels scarce on songs.
  10. American Songwriter
    Sep 14, 2015
    60
    How many times you’ll return to it is questionable, especially for power pop fans, but it’s a logical extension from the chamber accompaniment of the album’s opening songs and shows Folds to be even more gifted than many of his followers thought.
  11. Record Collector
    Sep 11, 2015
    60
    The songs aren’t a huge departure from Folds’ regular style, with sweet melodies, vocal harmonies and lyrics that switch between the quirky and the emotional.
  12. Q Magazine
    Sep 8, 2015
    60
    So There seems far more a compositional exercise for Folds rather than an album for the wider public. [Oct 2015, p.108]
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  13. Mojo
    Sep 8, 2015
    60
    By turns whimsical, self-deprecating and humorous. [Oct 2015, p.93]
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  14. Consequence
    Sep 10, 2015
    58
    Folds’ gifts for narrative and composing are clear, but fusing the two more fluidly could be something magical.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 13
  3. Negative: 3 out of 13
  1. vicyamusicgreat
    Sep 12, 2015
    8
    Long Way To Go is so very clever, conjuring the consequences of the duration limits of a popular song within a popular song, that it makes upLong Way To Go is so very clever, conjuring the consequences of the duration limits of a popular song within a popular song, that it makes up for what appears to be suspiciously close to an Owen Pallett song on Capable of Anything. Either Ben indeed Is A Fan of Owen, or they are both onto something. The songs So There and F10-D-A are characterized by the amazing piano work we've come to expect from Ben, a welcome thing. The cathartic song are mostly quite good, especially the title track and I'm Not The Man. The troublesome item for me is his Not A Fan song, in which Ben makes light of a competing pop star while admitting he's not much of a reader (himself), growing up as he did "on sugar cereal and TV." I'm thinking, if he had read (more) books, he might see the hypocrisy created by this song, and betimes elsewhere, and may write more incisive lyrics, being a reader, than he's thought possible . . . consistently, that is. By the bye, pick up that book, Ben. It's getting awfully dusty sitting there on the shelf.… Full Review »
  2. mscholtens
    Oct 11, 2020
    10
    I have been a life long fan of Ben Folds and I saw him perform tracks from So There in concert in Edinburgh, Scotland a few years ago. ThisI have been a life long fan of Ben Folds and I saw him perform tracks from So There in concert in Edinburgh, Scotland a few years ago. This album is a go to for me as it combines his raw emotions with his impeccable song writing. I was surprised to see the basis of many reviewers displeasure being the genre exploration, as this is potentially the strongest continuity in Folds career. To expect this album to sound like "Rocking the Suburbs" is to ignore a strong interluding discography and to rob the artist of a chance to develop and the audience along with him.… Full Review »
  3. accioconnor
    May 4, 2016
    10
    Ben Folds' new album "So There" is a perfect mix of perfect songs. The instrumentals are fantastic, as well as his singing and hidden meaningsBen Folds' new album "So There" is a perfect mix of perfect songs. The instrumentals are fantastic, as well as his singing and hidden meanings behind songs.… Full Review »
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