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This is the first album where his artistry seems fully realized, both in terms of subject matter and performance. Witty, balanced and highly charged.
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Folds proves that, sometimes, the gamble you take on saying too much can pay off.
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There is nary a weak link to be found. More than anything, Way to Normal is simply Folds’s way of showing us that, at 42, he’s still doing this piano-power-pop thing better than anyone else around.
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While this may not be his finest solo moment (that honour still belongs to his debut, "Rockin' The Suburbs"), if you want some intelligent, moving and addictive pop songs, you can't go far wrong with Mr Folds.
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Alternative PressIt's a handy metaphor for the record, and Folds in general: Obsessed with love but with a careful eye for the absurd, humanizing details. [Nov 2008, p.160]
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While Folds has antic down to an art, Way to Normal sometimes wilts a bit under the weight of that jittery, borderline venomous energy, spilling into an angry place that may be honest but can be discomfiting.
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FilterThe record contains many great spontaneous details and nearly as many backing vocal tricks as an Eminem disc. For these among other reasons, even when Way To Normal is annoying, Folds sounds very ispired. [Fall 2008, p.92]
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Those displeased by the sensitive singer-songwriter pose Ben Folds slipped into with his first two solo discs are likely to find some joy in Way to Normal, a return to the snark-filled piano-bashing and redolent melodies of his yesteryear.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 16 out of 21
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Mixed: 4 out of 21
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Negative: 1 out of 21
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Jun 29, 2013