Ben Poole - Time Has Come (2016)

Time Has Come by singer/guitarist Ben Poole is the follow up full length studio release to 2014’s Live At The Royal Albert Hall. Ben is still a relatively new artist on the blues scene. With his smooth tone, tenor voice and pop sensibilities, Ben has clear crossover potential. Time Has Come has an official release date of April 1, 2016. Wayne Proctor is credited as the producer and guitarists Aynsley Lister, Henrik Freischlader and Todd Sharpville are guests.

The album opens with the hard rocking “Lying To Me,” the most aggressive track on the record and then takes it down a few notches with “I Think I Love You Too Much.” This is a soulful number sporting a nice mid-tempo groove, John Mayer-esque vocals and guitar work right out of the Robben Ford soloing book. Next is the soulful 6/8 ballad, “Longing For A Woman.” This is a tender piece with some nice organ and piano work. Ben picks it up a little more on “If You Want To Play With My Heart,” but brings it back down immediately with “Time Might Never Come.” The latter has a solo that is more than just a slight nod to David Gilmour’s iconic solo on “Comfortably Numb.”

“The Question Why” with it’s sweet ’70s southern California vibe, rounds out the album. With the exception of the opening track, the entire record has a very mellow feel about it. Even the up-tempo “Stay At Mine” with it’s spanky Telecaster work feels like it’s just simmering and not really on full burn.

Time Has Come is a well made record. The songs are solid and Ben has a very nice voice in the pop/soul niche. There is also no deying his guitar cops. The notes seem to pop out of the mix and his phrasing will definitely tickle your ear. If you like some of the more current music from Jonny Lang and John Mayer, then Time Has Come is right up your alley.