Benmont Tench The Melancholy Season
Benmont Tench's The Melancholy Season opens as a late-night confessional, where piano-led restraint and weathered vocal delivery frame songs of heartache, mortality and quiet reflection. Across four professional reviews the record earned a 76/100 consensus score, a reception that credits Tench's keyboard craftsmanship and intimate production even as some critics note a restrained, low-key pace. Critics consistently point to the title track “The Melancholy Season” as a concise, rueful centerpiece and cite “Pledge” for its clamorous, socially minded lyricism.
Reviewers agree that the album's strengths lie in sparse arrangements and vulnerable storytelling. Praise centers on standout tracks such as “Rattle”, which supplies rollicking rock'n'roll relief, and quieter wins like “Under The Starlight” and “Like Crystal” that unfurl with subtle, late-night intimacy. Across the professional reviews, commentators highlight Americana and classic rock influences - from Jackson Browne piano balladry to Chuck Berry snap - and note high-fidelity production that lets small instrumental details and guest turns register.
While some critics describe the mood as wistful and occasionally too modest in scope, the critical consensus suggests The Melancholy Season rewards close listening: it is a reflective, well-crafted collection that showcases Tench's strengths as a pianist, storyteller and interpreter of damaged, flawed characters. Below follow the full reviews that expand on where the record shines and where its hushed approach asks for patience.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Under The Starlight
1 mention
"The best of the bunch is the emotionally moving "Under the Starlight,""— Glide Magazine
The Melancholy Season
4 mentions
"The mood-setting opening title track starts with just piano."— Glide Magazine
Like Crystal
2 mentions
"the southwestern late-night vibe of the transportative "Like Crystal" (with top-notch guitar work from Taylor Goldsmith )"— Glide Magazine
The best of the bunch is the emotionally moving "Under the Starlight,"
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
The Melancholy Season
Pledge
Rattle
Not Enough
If She Knew
I Will Not Follow You Down
Under The Starlight
Back
Like Crystal
Wobbles
You, Again
The Drivin Man
Dallas
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 5 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
Benmont Tench keeps things intimate on The Melancholy Season, letting piano characters and quiet arrangements do the talking. The reviewer singles out “The Melancholy Season” as a concise gem and praises “Pledge” for its clamorous prayer for social justice, making those the best songs on the record. There is a husky sweetness throughout, from the bare-bones ache of “If She Knew” to the rollicking delectability of “Rattle”, which together show why these tracks stand out. This is an album of beguiling naivety and terse wisdom, where modest means amplify emotional payoff.
Key Points
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“The Melancholy Season” is the best song because it pairs poetic parsimony with sumptuous, spare textures.
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The album’s core strengths are intimate, piano-led arrangements, tasteful cameos, and a husky, vulnerable vocal delivery.
Themes
Critic's Take
In a voice that savors the worn edges of time, Benmont Tench makes The Melancholy Season feel like a late-night confessional where the best songs - “The Melancholy Season” and “Rattle” - do the most work. The title track unfolds like a Jackson Browne piano ballad of heartache and nostalgia, smoky and rueful, while “Rattle” is pure Chuck Berry inspired rock n' roll that gets you tapping your toes. Tender moments like “If She Knew” and the sorrowful, Lennon-tinged “You Again” add ache and depth, and closer “Dallas” offers folksy closure that fits the album's reflective arc. The record rewards listeners who want to bask in feeling, with production details and guest turns that make the best tracks stand out in high fidelity.
Key Points
-
The title track is best for its nostalgic piano-ballad arrangement and evocative Hammond organ.
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The album's core strengths are soulful songwriting, rich production detail, and tasteful homages to classic influences.
Themes
Critic's Take
Benmont Tench’s The Melancholy Season is at its best in hushed, intimate moments, where songs like “Under the Starlight” and “Like Crystal” quietly unfold. The reviewer leans into Tench’s Tom Petty–tinged history while praising the album's restrained piano-led arrangements and the retro snap of “Rattle”. There is bemused affection for the record's musings on spirituality and aging, and a nod to winners such as “Wobbles” and the sly closer “Dallas” that capture the album's transportive, late-night moods.
Key Points
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The best song, "Under the Starlight," is singled out for its emotional delicacy and lullaby-like unfolding.
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The album’s core strengths are intimate piano-led arrangements, introspective lyrics, and successful quieter moods.
Am
Critic's Take
Benmont Tench arrives with The Melancholy Season, a record of hushed confession and slow-burning atmospherics where the best songs are those that foreground lyrics and piano. The title track, a beautifully sad piano ballad, immediately stakes its claim as one of the best songs on The Melancholy Season by setting the album's mood and emotional cadence. On “Pledge” Tench delivers one of the record's most powerful lyrical moments, and that track stands out for its steady tambourine and lonely organ that let the words land. Meanwhile, tighter throwbacks like “Rattle” and the Zombies-tinged “Not Enough” serve as compelling counterpoints, reinforcing why listeners searching for the best tracks on The Melancholy Season will keep returning to these songs.
Key Points
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The title track is the best song because it establishes the album’s melancholic mood with a beautifully sad piano ballad.
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The album's core strengths are lyrical focus, intimate vocals, and atmospheric arrangements that reward repeated listens.