(Self-released, digital)
Ben Patton has established himself as a sort of musical molecular geneticist — working with a guitar instead of a microscope. A superb and prolific composer with roots in British Invasion and power pop, the Burlington songwriter is also an ever-curious and learned devotee of all sorts of styles, including jazz manouche, children’s songs, medicine show revivalism and playful folk.
On his latest album, Dinner, he boomerangs back to his pure guitar-pop base camp, wryly and optimistically chronicling his own romantic and musical endeavors over 11 concise, instantly hummable tunes. The overarching lesson seems to be, as the title of his “If I Can be Saved Then Anyone Can” suggests, that Patton believes in the power of love and guitars — despite his own oft-bumbling attempts at the former.
Part of the fun with an artist such as Patton is seeing how skillfully he’s learned from a choice array of clever and like-minded musicians. Front and center is Patton’s sardonic but self-effacing wit, sprinkling his vocal melodies and musings with echoes of Ben Folds, Fountains of Wayne, dada and They Might Be Giants.
Against this backdrop, it would be disappointing to discover Patton didn’t write and assemble Dinner in a motor oil-soaked garage with the equipment set up around a lawn mower, a few boxes of holiday decorations, a washing machine and dryer, and a large cooler full of cheap beer.
In fact, in the song “Guitars Are Fun” — which would have been my choice for the album’s title — Patton uses the first verse to establish the veracity of the song title, then, in the second verse, adds to the recipe:
“Find someone / Who can rock the drums / And find some sorry sap / Who’s willing to play the bass / Design an awesome logo / Get a gig someplace / But don’t forget who you are / You play guitar.”
“There’s a Mop and a Bucket,” the take-me-or-leave-me ultimatum of “This Is What’s for Dinner,” and “Clown School” seem to celebrate the blue-collar hurdles rockers face en route to the top. These tunes are funny, quick and energized.
But Patton is at his best on the earnest “girl songs.” In “Sweet Sweet Person,” over a choppy, ebullient chord pattern, Patton is on top of the world, even if he has a hard time believing a cool relationship is actually happening to him. “Love Her So Much” bounces between major and minor flourishes, and the Brian Wilson-style keyboard touch provides the sort of bounce that beautifully turns back the clock to the heyday of sixties AM radio.
Maybe the best and most representative tune on the album is “Oh Don’t Blow It,” in which Patton dares to believe he’s on the verge of … whatever he’s dreamed about. It’s a tune Badfinger or Jellyfish could’ve given a coat of multi-harmony lacquer, but it works best with Patton delivering his plaintive lines alone, like a guy giving himself a pep talk in the mirror.
Dude, you got this.
Dinner is available at benpatton.bandcamp.com and on major streaming services.
This article appears in January 28 • 2026.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!