Inclusions

iTunes Review

Ben Sollee is a classically trained cellist who has worked on a wide variety of projects. He’s played in the Sparrow Quartet with Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn, recorded with My Morning Jacket, and released an album with Daniel Martin Moore (Dear Companion). Stylistically, Inclusions, his second solo release, is a country/folk/modern pop hybrid with a twist. Cello is the primary instrument here and that lends a distinct feel to the album. Whether he’s bowing or plucking it the texture is everywhere, and Sollee uses it in many inventive ways to support these carefully constructed songs. It’s haunting on the sparse “Embrace,” rustic on “Close to You,” and when backed by jazzy woodwinds, brass, and tympani on “Bible Belt,” it gives the song a mellow, late night feel. On “Cluttered Mind” the cello supports subdued banjo and bass clarinet, and in “Electrified” it’s used to create a funky, skittering groove. His lyrics are as interesting as the compositions, filled with compelling imagery and observations, making the album work on several levels. Inclusions aims for the head and the heart and hits both.