Singer-songwriter Benjamin Olson describes his music as "pop-sensible Americana folk-rock." He has a few catchy melodies, and he seems sincere in the delivery of his lyrics although a song like "Left Out" challenges his range on the low register. Originally from Wisconsin, Olson started writing songs at age 15, and he had over 100 songs by the time he graduated high school. He eventually found himself Nashville in 2003. While he had played drums and piano (and does so on a couple tracks of "White Window"), his favorite instrument is now the guitar. Others on the album include Rod Lewis (bass, vox), Tim Grogan (drums, percussion, keys, vox), and Howard Buckwold (electric guitar, mandolin).

All songs on the 45-minute project include: 1. Business, 2. Rain Check, 3. The Sky Is Falling, 4. Run Away, 5. Get The Lead Out, 6. Left Out, 8. Rocket Ride, 8. White Window, 9. Suddenly, 10. Pessimistic Proposal, 11. One Man Band, 12. Cheap Date, 13. Light, 14. Regret

Olson appears to be reaching out to the Americana market, and his challenge is to create memorable songs. His music seems more in tune with the Austin scene than perhaps Nashville. His best efforts are "One Man Band," "The Sky is Falling," "Regret," and "3d Rocket Ride." While "Regret" is regretfully a little short (under two minutes), it has a nice acoustic flavoring in comparison to the drum-heavy and throbbing opener, "Business," which has punk or grunge overtones. "Rain Check" starts with a haunting feel then the song's genesis takes us through some dynamics of various tonal and rhythmic colors.

The title cut, an instrumental piano piece with eerie synthesizer which appears at track 8, seems a bit out of place sandwiched between the more raucous offerings. However, it does showcase his piano playing in a rather lean, almost demo-like, arrangement. "Suddenly" then establishes a funky groove as it relates a enigmatic recipe. Despite Olson's perseverance and dedication to his craft, the message in "Pessimistic Proposal" could be construed as a rather defeatist attitude when it comes to love-gone-wrong or rejection.

To get his messages further heard and understood, Olson should've included his lyrics in the CD jacket. Stylistically, "White Window" shows that Benjamin Olson shows promise as a budding songwriter. I'd encourage him to listen to some guys like Tom Russell, Jon Randall, Rodney Crowell and Ryan Shupe for a better handle on the alt country genre. I did appreciate his ability to combine blues, rock, punk and funk rhythms into his music. With some good support and a bit of luck, we could be hearing much more about Benjamin Olson in the near future. (Joe Ross)