Austin,
Texas (Top40 Charts/ New West Records) -
Ben Lee will release his sixth solo recording, Ripe,
September 4th on New West Records. The album, which was produced by John Alagia (John Mayer,
Dave Matthews Band,
Ben Folds Five) continues Ben's trademark pop craftsmanship, sense of humor and uncontainable passion for life as well as representing a marked maturity in form. Ripe features guest appearances by Mandy Moore, Benji
Madden (Good Charlotte), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Rachael Yamagata, the members of Rooney, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), and
Charlotte Martin. The 12-song set includes the exuberant sweeping ballad "Love Me Like the World Is Ending," the infectious track "Blush," an ode to a personal hero in "What Would
Jay-Z Do?," and the
Mandy Moore duet "Birds & Bees." In addition to the CD format, Ripe is set to come out on 180-gram audiophile vinyl as well. 2007 promises to be Ben's biggest year yet with the release of Ripe, his most ambitious work to date.
At the age of 14, Ben was discovered by Sonic Youth and The Beastie Boys while serving as front man for the Australian pop punk outfit Noise Addict. His debut solo album, Grandpaw Would, was released in 1995 on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label and was followed by four critically acclaimed albums filled with intelligent pop melodies. 2005 saw the release of Ben's fifth record, Awake Is The New Sleep (his first for New West Records) which garnered rave reviews, career-high worldwide sales, and a hit in the track "Catch My Disease." The album went Double Platinum in Australia, where Ben accumulated four Aria Awards (Australia's equivalent to the Grammy) for Best Male Artist, Single of the Year, Best Independent Album and Best Album Art. The single went on to become the first ever independently released No 1 radio song in Australian history, and went Top 10 in Canada, Spain and Benelux, and Top 20 in the US. He has also collaborated with Ben Folds and Ben Kweller under the moniker "The Bens," which resulted in many live performances and a stunning four-song EP release in 2004. Additionally, Lee made his feature film debut in the title role of the Australian comedy, The Rage In Placid Lake alongside Miranda Richardson and Rose Byrne.
A documentary by filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson chronicling the past seven years of Ben's career leading to the release of Ripe will be featured at festivals in 2008. It features interviews with Thurston Moore, Liz Phair, Winona Ryder, Benji Madden, Michelle Williams, Mike Watt, Ione Skye, Claire Danes, Ben Kweller, among many others.
