Ari Hest
The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ - July 24, 2004

Soon he'll be a national celebrity, so it was nice for Dan and I to catch an intimate solo performance from Ari Hest.

With his hearty voice that exudes a variety of depth and ranges, Ari Hest performed solo at the 90.5 The Night Benefit Show.

Held at The Saint (Asbury Park, NJ) on July 24, 2004, Hest took the stage opening up with "They're Onto Me," an up-tempo song quite familiar to his fans. With only three weeks to go, Hest said he was excited about his upcoming Columbia Records release, "Someone To Tell". The album features many songs off his previous releases, including some new ones of the same grandeur.

The bluesy acoustic rocker sounds like a blend of Edwin McCain meeting John Mayer — but even better.

"A Fond Farewell" is one of his newer tracks, and is my favorite on the upcoming collection. It was my first time hearing it live, and although it was slower than his opening song, he sang the introspective track with passion and heart — which always allures me. "In the past I've been burned/But I've lived and I've learned/Beneath the shelter of the pouring rain/In the absence of this fear and pain/I will finally bid my ball and chain/A fond farewell." This track is robust with meaning, gleams with harmony and shines overall.

An acoustic version of "Aberdeen" was also a treat, as I'm used to hearing it with more rhythm. The way he sang it really lured me in, as if I was watching a young man from sing of leaving the small South Dakota town the song describes. He dug out "Come Home", the title track from his first full-length album, as well as "I've Got You," a duet-inspired song that he hopes to one day sing alongside a female vocalist (he's hoping for Norah Jones).

It was pure delight to hear the back-and-forth rhythms of "When Everything Seems Wrong." He turned up the heat during the bluesy, "Caught Up in Your Love" and ended with "Consistency" (which is also on his new album, and seems to be more revived than I've heard in the past).

Overall, I enjoyed catching Hest solo, knowing that his career will soon boom him onto the auditorium stages with a full band. Intimate performances such as this one will be less frequent, which is why seeing the New York singer-songwriter was well worth my time.

Someone To Tell will be released nationally on August 10th.

Reviewed by Kristen Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com