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Ben Kyle

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Not to be confused with Benjamin Kyle (Babylon 5) or Benjaman Kyle.

Ben Kyle
Ben Kyle in 2008
Background information
Born21 May 1981 (1981-05-21) (age 43)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
OriginGilnahirk, Belfast, Northern Ireland
GenresAmericana, folk, rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, producer
InstrumentsGuitar, piano, vocals, harmonica, percussion
Years active2002– Present
Websitewww.benkyle.com

Ben Kyle (born 21 May 1981) is an Irish-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead singer and songwriter for the Americana band Romantica. Kyle's singing style has been compared to those of Tom Odell and Ryan Adams.[1][2]

Early life

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Ben Kyle was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland but moved with his family to Minneapolis, Minnesota at age 13.[3] Kyle grew up in a family of musicians and showed an interest in music from an early age.[4]

Career

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2002–2009: early career

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In 2002, Kyle formed Romantica, an alternative country band with an Irish influence. Based in Minneapolis, Romantica has acquired a following in the United States while releasing three albums.[5] Their first, It's Your Weakness That I Want, came out in 2004, bringing an Irish rock approach to the Americana genre of music.[6] Their second album, America, brought the band more widespread recognition as Kyle's lyrics and poetic approach earned enthusiastic praise.[7] Paste magazine ranked the album 58th on its Top 100 Albums of 2007 list.[8] As the songwriter of the America album, Kyle won several awards at the 2007 International Songwriting Competition.[9] In 2009, Romantica released Control Alt Country Delete which was written and recorded in a single day in Austin, Texas.

2010–present

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After the release of Romantica's third album, Kyle went on tour in Europe with Carrie Rodriguez in 2010. They performed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom.[10] Kyle and Rodriguez also recorded a duet album, We Still Love Our Country. The album has two original songs: Your Lonely Heart, by Kyle, and Fire Alarm, co-written by Kyle and Rodriguez. The other six tracks are covers of classic country songs. Both the tour and the album were well received in Europe.[11]

In 2012, Kyle began his solo career with the release of Ben Kyle, a compilation of songs of a more personal nature. Commenting on the solo album's name, Kyle stated, "It's not like the Romantica songs were not personal, but this collection is definitely very autobiographical...."[12] As of early 2013, Kyle was working on several musical projects as producer and arranger while also developing future Romantica and solo recordings.[13]

Collaborations

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In addition to his work with Romantica and Carrie Rodriguez, Ben Kyle has worked with Ryan Adams, Alejandro Escovedo, Lucinda Williams, Sara Watkins, and Dan Wilson.

Discography

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Romantica

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  • 2004: Its Your Weakness That I Want[14]
  • 2007: America[15]
  • 2009: Control Alt Country Delete[16]
  • 2016: Shadowlands[17]
  • 2018: Outlaws[18]

Collaboration

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  • 2011: We Still Love Our Country (Duet album with Carrie Rodriguez)[19]

Solo

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References

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  1. ^ Mead, David (30 June 2008). "Romantica: America". Paste. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Romantica: 'I Need You Tonight'". NPR.org. National Public Radio.
  3. ^ Weber, Tom. "Romantica's Ben Kyle goes solo". Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  4. ^ Bialas, Michael (14 November 2012). "After Sleeping on It, Ben Kyle Gets His Solo Act Together". Huffington Post. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  5. ^ "Romantica: 'I Need You Tonight'". NPR.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  6. ^ Christman, Philip (30 June 2008). "Romantica – It's Your Weakness That I Want". Paste. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  7. ^ Riemenschneider, Chri. "Top Local Albums of 07". Star Tribune. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Signs of Life 2007: Best Music". Paste. 30 June 2008. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  9. ^ "2007 Winners". International Songwriters Competition. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  10. ^ Swensson, Andrea. "Romantica's Ben Kyle: The extended interview". City Pages. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  11. ^ Chilton, Martin. "Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle: We Still Love Our Country, CD review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  12. ^ Swensson, Andrea. "Ben Kyle breaks from Romantica to release personal, pensive solo album". the Current. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
  13. ^ Weber, Tom. "Romantica's Ben Kyle goes solo". Minnesota Public Radio.
  14. ^ "It's Your Weakness That I Want". Apple. 9 March 2004. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  15. ^ "America". Apple. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  16. ^ "Control Alt Country Delete". Bandcamp. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  17. ^ "Shadowlands". Pledgemusic.
  18. ^ "Outlaws". Discogs. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  19. ^ "We Still Love Our Country". Ninth Street Opus. Archived from the original on 22 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  20. ^ "Ben Kyle". Apple. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  21. ^ "MASSA". Ben Kyle. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  22. ^ "MASSA Deux". Bandcamp. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
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