A Love Extreme

iTunes Review

Benji Hughes is an oddity. No way around it. But Hughes, a native of North Carolina (lest you think he’s some exotic import), possesses an understated confidence in his own quirkiness, whether flirting with electro-pop, dance music, or jazz. “You’ll never find another lover like me,” he drawls convincingly in the lavishly romantic, piano-leavened “Even If.” “We need to call the cops, somebody killed the DJ,” he croons in a druggy, unaffected tone on “Why Do These Parties All End The Same Way.” Hughes is most interested in expounding on lustful longing and love gone wrong, though some of the best tracks here are hilarious slice-of-life musings: not only are tracks like “Neighbor Down The Hall” and “You Stood Me Up” delightfully catchy, oddball pop songs, but we’ve all been there before. Ditto “I Went With Some Friends to See the Flaming Lips,” an all too familiar tale of surviving a wild night of idol worship. This is a two-disc set, and the bang for your buck is substantial. You’ll find yourself singing the chorus from “Baby It’s Your Life” in the shower, full-on Bee Gees style, and you’ll wanna woo some sweet thing with the sweetly sexy  “Vibe So Hot.” Genius.