BENMONT TENCH
''YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY''
FEBRUARY 18 2014
45:39
1 /Today I Took Your Picture Down
Benmont Tench/4:07
2 /Veronica Said
Benmont Tench/3:49
3 /Ecor Rouge
Benmont Tench/4:23
4 /Hannah
Benmont Tench/3:32
5 /Blonde Girl, Blue Dress
Benmont Tench/3:02
6 /You Should Be So Lucky
Benmont Tench/3:58
7 /Corrina, Corrina
Traditional/5:11
8 /Dogwood
Benmont Tench/3:33
9 /Like the Sun (Michoacan)
Benmont Tench/2:27
10 /Wobbles
Benmont Tench/3:31
11 /Why Don't You Quit Leavin Me Alone
Benmont Tench/4:07
12 /Duquesne Whistle
Bob Dylan / Robert Hunter / Benmont Tench/3:59
Ryan Adams /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
Daphne Chen /Violin
Lauren Chipman /Viola
Richard Dodd /Cello
Eric Gorfain /Violin
Joel Jerome /Vocal Harmony
Ethan Johns /Drums, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Leslie), Shaker, Slide Guitar, Tiple, Vocal Harmony
Blake Mills /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Musician, Tiple
Tom Petty /Guitar
David Rawlings /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
The Section Quartet /String Arrangements, Strings
Jeremy Stacey /Drums, Percussion
Ringo Starr /Tambourine
Benmont Tench /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, Vocals
Don Was /A&R, Bass, Bass (Upright)
Gillian Welch /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As a Heartbreaker and on his own, Benmont Tench defines a supporting musician: versatile, tasteful, and distinctive; enhancing sessions without overwhelming the leader. He's so thoroughly part of a group that it's hard to picture him stepping to the center of the stage, but You Should Be So Lucky -- his 2014 solo debut, released roughly 38 years after the first Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album -- shows he's an appealingly ragged and relaxed frontman and one who knows not to abandon his core strengths. One of those strengths may not be his vocals -- slightly raspy and slightly sweet, he can carry a tune (he doesn't possess the gravelly croak of, say, Pete Buck), but he lays back, letting the listener come to him, never commanding attention -- but, whether he's choosing a cover or sculpting an original, he has an ear for a good tune, he knows how to color them effectively, and, especially, he knows how to carry out every kind of groove. Often on You Should Be So Lucky, Tench turns toward a loose-limbed, R&B swing and Glyn Johns -- a legendary producer who surprisingly has never produced Petty, but did helm Ryan Adams' 2011 set Ashes & Fire, which featured support by Tench -- does the smart thing by recording the keyboardist and his group (featuring Don Was, Ethan Johns, Jeremy Stacey, and Blake Mills) live, capturing their inherent burned-in groove as well as its elasticity. Tench and company can drift, as they do on smoky instrumental "Ecor Rouge," dabble with the New Orleans rhumba ("Wobbles"), and work up a serious groove (a smoking cover of Bob Dylan's latter-day gem "Duquesne Whistle"), but most of the record is anchored in roots rock that isn't necessarily rustic. Even when the spirit is shambolic, such as on the pleasingly lazy Band-indebted "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress," there's an ease to the delivery that's smooth yet consciously dodges away from polish. You Should Be So Lucky is distinguished by that casual professionalism, and the album is so comfortable, so easy to enjoy that it can take a few listens to realize how deeply Tench's original songs sink in -- it's not just that ballads like "Today I Took Your Picture Down" start to resonate, but the pop hooks on "Veronica Said" and the title track seem stronger and cannier -- and how soulful this whole affair is.
BIOGRAPHY
By Greg Prato
Best known as the longtime pianist and keyboard player for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench is one of rock's most respected instrumentalists, as he's guested on countless recordings other artists. Born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, Tench took up piano at an early age, playing recitals at the age of six. But shortly after discovering the Beatles, Tench turned his back on lessons and focused on '60s rock & roll. As a teenager, Tench met another up-and-coming rocker, Tom Petty, at a local music store. Several years later (while on break from college), Tench caught Petty's band, Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreaker Mike Campbell on guitar), in concert, and after sitting in with the band on several different occasions, went back to school. Petty asked Tench shortly thereafter to quit school and join Mudcrutch full-time, which after some deliberation, he agreed to. 
After a demo tape featuring the new lineup was recorded, the quartet landed a recording contract with Shelter Records. But before they could record an album, the band split up. Tench contemplated launching his own band (which he would double in as lead vocalist), before Petty convinced Campbell and Tench to come back. Recruiting additional members Stan Lynch (drums) and Ron Blair (bass), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was officially formed in 1976, resulting in a deal with MCA, and by the '80s (on the strength of such hit albums as Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises, Southern Accents, etc.), the Heartbreakers had become one of the top rock bands in the world. Beginning in the middle of that decade, Tench became a much sought-after session player, lending his talents to recordings by such varied artists as Jackson Browne, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, the Cult, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Hall & Oates, Green Day, Don Henley, Indigo Girls, Ziggy Marley, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Remy Zero, the Rolling Stones, U2, Robin Zander, Ryan Adams, Travis Tritt, and Ringo Starr, among many others. But despite it all, Tench never let this session work get in the way of playing with his main band on 14 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers albums, in addition to countless tours. In late 2013, he announced plans for the February 2014 release of his first-ever solo album. Produced by Glyn Johns, the sessions for You Should Be So Lucky took place at Sunset Sound in L.A. and featured input from a veritable roll call of cohorts, from Ryan Adams to Don Was.
''YOU SHOULD BE SO LUCKY''
FEBRUARY 18 2014
45:39
1 /Today I Took Your Picture Down
Benmont Tench/4:07
2 /Veronica Said
Benmont Tench/3:49
3 /Ecor Rouge
Benmont Tench/4:23
4 /Hannah
Benmont Tench/3:32
5 /Blonde Girl, Blue Dress
Benmont Tench/3:02
6 /You Should Be So Lucky
Benmont Tench/3:58
7 /Corrina, Corrina
Traditional/5:11
8 /Dogwood
Benmont Tench/3:33
9 /Like the Sun (Michoacan)
Benmont Tench/2:27
10 /Wobbles
Benmont Tench/3:31
11 /Why Don't You Quit Leavin Me Alone
Benmont Tench/4:07
12 /Duquesne Whistle
Bob Dylan / Robert Hunter / Benmont Tench/3:59
Ryan Adams /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
Daphne Chen /Violin
Lauren Chipman /Viola
Richard Dodd /Cello
Eric Gorfain /Violin
Joel Jerome /Vocal Harmony
Ethan Johns /Drums, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Leslie), Shaker, Slide Guitar, Tiple, Vocal Harmony
Blake Mills /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Musician, Tiple
Tom Petty /Guitar
David Rawlings /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
The Section Quartet /String Arrangements, Strings
Jeremy Stacey /Drums, Percussion
Ringo Starr /Tambourine
Benmont Tench /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Organ, Piano, Vocals
Don Was /A&R, Bass, Bass (Upright)
Gillian Welch /Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Vocal Harmony
REVIEW
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
As a Heartbreaker and on his own, Benmont Tench defines a supporting musician: versatile, tasteful, and distinctive; enhancing sessions without overwhelming the leader. He's so thoroughly part of a group that it's hard to picture him stepping to the center of the stage, but You Should Be So Lucky -- his 2014 solo debut, released roughly 38 years after the first Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album -- shows he's an appealingly ragged and relaxed frontman and one who knows not to abandon his core strengths. One of those strengths may not be his vocals -- slightly raspy and slightly sweet, he can carry a tune (he doesn't possess the gravelly croak of, say, Pete Buck), but he lays back, letting the listener come to him, never commanding attention -- but, whether he's choosing a cover or sculpting an original, he has an ear for a good tune, he knows how to color them effectively, and, especially, he knows how to carry out every kind of groove. Often on You Should Be So Lucky, Tench turns toward a loose-limbed, R&B swing and Glyn Johns -- a legendary producer who surprisingly has never produced Petty, but did helm Ryan Adams' 2011 set Ashes & Fire, which featured support by Tench -- does the smart thing by recording the keyboardist and his group (featuring Don Was, Ethan Johns, Jeremy Stacey, and Blake Mills) live, capturing their inherent burned-in groove as well as its elasticity. Tench and company can drift, as they do on smoky instrumental "Ecor Rouge," dabble with the New Orleans rhumba ("Wobbles"), and work up a serious groove (a smoking cover of Bob Dylan's latter-day gem "Duquesne Whistle"), but most of the record is anchored in roots rock that isn't necessarily rustic. Even when the spirit is shambolic, such as on the pleasingly lazy Band-indebted "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress," there's an ease to the delivery that's smooth yet consciously dodges away from polish. You Should Be So Lucky is distinguished by that casual professionalism, and the album is so comfortable, so easy to enjoy that it can take a few listens to realize how deeply Tench's original songs sink in -- it's not just that ballads like "Today I Took Your Picture Down" start to resonate, but the pop hooks on "Veronica Said" and the title track seem stronger and cannier -- and how soulful this whole affair is.
BIOGRAPHY
By Greg Prato
Best known as the longtime pianist and keyboard player for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench is one of rock's most respected instrumentalists, as he's guested on countless recordings other artists. Born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, Tench took up piano at an early age, playing recitals at the age of six. But shortly after discovering the Beatles, Tench turned his back on lessons and focused on '60s rock & roll. As a teenager, Tench met another up-and-coming rocker, Tom Petty, at a local music store. Several years later (while on break from college), Tench caught Petty's band, Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreaker Mike Campbell on guitar), in concert, and after sitting in with the band on several different occasions, went back to school. Petty asked Tench shortly thereafter to quit school and join Mudcrutch full-time, which after some deliberation, he agreed to.
After a demo tape featuring the new lineup was recorded, the quartet landed a recording contract with Shelter Records. But before they could record an album, the band split up. Tench contemplated launching his own band (which he would double in as lead vocalist), before Petty convinced Campbell and Tench to come back. Recruiting additional members Stan Lynch (drums) and Ron Blair (bass), Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers was officially formed in 1976, resulting in a deal with MCA, and by the '80s (on the strength of such hit albums as Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises, Southern Accents, etc.), the Heartbreakers had become one of the top rock bands in the world. Beginning in the middle of that decade, Tench became a much sought-after session player, lending his talents to recordings by such varied artists as Jackson Browne, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, the Cult, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Hall & Oates, Green Day, Don Henley, Indigo Girls, Ziggy Marley, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Remy Zero, the Rolling Stones, U2, Robin Zander, Ryan Adams, Travis Tritt, and Ringo Starr, among many others. But despite it all, Tench never let this session work get in the way of playing with his main band on 14 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers albums, in addition to countless tours. In late 2013, he announced plans for the February 2014 release of his first-ever solo album. Produced by Glyn Johns, the sessions for You Should Be So Lucky took place at Sunset Sound in L.A. and featured input from a veritable roll call of cohorts, from Ryan Adams to Don Was.
