With his third record Ben Arthur is trying to get it right. Taking matters into his own hands, he wanted everything on this CD his way. After enlisting the help of Mike Shipley, Edible Darling started to come about. According to Arthur, this CD is a "meditation on a friend who raises pigs and likes to eat them." While the influence and point is quite strange, Arthur doesn't fail to delight in Edible Darling.

"Most of my material comes from a place where the most grim and difficult sentiments lurk under a catchy melody." Strangely enough, it's hard to see it with the opening track "Mary Ann," which above all else is upbeat. But his yearning for the cynical comes out in "Broken-Hearted Smile."


"End of the Day" is pure, raw, unadulterated in it's sounds. This smoothness shows Arthur's talents at combining numerous ideas and sounds together and easily meshing them together.

"I bounce all over the place...I try to add as much as possible, to create a densely textured sound," says Arthur. This bouncing around is brilliantly showcased on Edible Darling. Maybe the transitions aren't the smoothest heard, but they definitely have a quirky quality to keep interest in the listener.

Even adding to that, Arthur isn't the greatest lyricist or singer, but his sheer earnestness is respectable in its own. To be honest, it's a CD that takes some time to adjust to, and it's almost a hesitant adjustment. But his energy and enthusiasm make up for whatever the Edible Darling lacks.


Track Listing
1. Mary Ann
2. Tonight
3. Broken-Hearted Smile
4. End of the Day
5. Mercy
6. Instrumental #3
7. Keep Me Around
8. Edible Darling
9. Bloomed
10. Sight of Your Tears
11. Wake
12. Jesus on my Knees