As has been proven time and again since COVID-19 made it unsafe to have shows in person, the livestream environment is far from ideal for performers or audiences. But everyone’s doing their damnedest to make the most of it.
Tuesday evening, Michigan native, longtime Nashvillian and standout rock ’n’ pop singer-songwriter Brendan Benson offered a prime example of that during the first installment in several weeks from the Scene’s No-Contact Shows series. Streaming live from his home studio and accompanying himself on a rich-sounding Gibson acoustic guitar, he offered up a short and sweet set of tunes from his recent Third Man Records LP Dear Life. The LP, a masterful slice of progressive power-pop, is sonically adventurous. But it’s built on a foundation of top-shelf songwriting, largely about refocusing when you’re no longer able to find your center — whether you were knocked off-balance by a sudden shock or have been on a long, gradual slide.
First up was Dear Life’s title track, a whistle-worthy tune in which Benson looks at the struggles others face and learns something about his own. Then came the anthemic “Baby’s Eyes,” a co-write with fellow Nashvillian Will Hoge (whose own new LP Tiny Little Movies is out Friday), one of several Dear Life tunes about the strength you can draw from your family. That particular tune emphasized Benson’s subtle skill as a rhythm guitarist, something that’s too easily overlooked. He wrapped with the album closer “Who’s Gonna Love You,” a propulsive minor-key number. Of the three, it shares the most with his work with Jack White & Co. in The Raconteurs, and its refrain repeats a sobering realization: “It’s easier to give up than it is to live up.”
It was a treat to watch, though it made the promise of seeing Benson with a full band someday even more tantalizing (especially if said band includes bassist Jon Estes and drummer Jon Radford, who backed him on Dear Life). Meanwhile, Benson is gearing up to start a longform livestream series from his studio, called Off the Road, which will happen at 4:20 p.m. on Thursdays. That begins June 25 when he’ll play Side A of Dear Life in full. Keep an eye on his YouTube channel for more details.
