Ben Folds

When North Carolina trio Ben Folds Five arrived with its self-titled debut in 1995, a still grunge-heavy modern-rock climate made the guitarless group seem almost a novelty. But actually, Folds' aggressive piano playing falls in line with ivory-pounding rockers from Jerry Lee Lewis through Elton John, and the group's keyboard-based pop quirks draw from Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson, among others. At the very least, then, Ben Folds Five marked the arrival of a formidable new addition to the tradition. In particular, songs such as "Uncle Walter" and "Boxing" display Folds' knack for character sketches, something relatively rare among his alt-rock peers. Meanwhile, "Underground" -- with its faux-dramatic opening, multiple vocal parts, and skewering of the so-called alternative scene -- typifies Folds' sharp humor as well as the threesome's ability to mount surprisingly complex arrangements with limited resources.

A more sardonic, even bitter, voice emerges on the group's major-label debut, Whatever and Ever Amen, which screams "break-up album" all over -- particularly on the revenge-fantasy opener, "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces," and the self-explanatory "Song for the Dumped." Its most notable exception, "Brick," features a rather contrite, sullen narrator recounting, without political agenda, a trip to the abortion clinic. It's beautifully executed, and even became an unlikely hit for the group. Elsewhere, though, Whatever's dark obsessions snuff out a lot of the topical humor that made the group's debut a delight, even as the musical approach remains largely unchanged.

Naked Baby Photos is the group's former indie label attempting to benefit from "Brick"'s success -- a somewhat premature odds-and-ends compilation of the formative years: outtakes, original versions, studio goofs, and early live recordings. The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, the trio's third and final studio album, marked a significant change in direction. Though not as heady or literal as its title suggests, it has the feel of a concept album -- an extended treatise on a man coming to terms with his shortcomings, demons, regrets, and mortality -- complete with string and horn orchestrations, plus other divergences from the trio's familiar piano-bass-drums aggregation. Mostly, it's as serious as it sounds and the writing is often good enough to do its subjects justice. But tracks such as "Army" and "Your Redneck Past" leave room for Folds' dark humor as well, making Reinhold Messner the group's most sophisticated, accomplished record, if not the most easy to enjoy.

Rockin' the Suburbs is Folds' proper solo debut, (there is a very odd set of instrumental and spoken-word tracks that he released under the name Fear of Pop, which you can safely ignore). With its bright production ("Annie Waits") and character-driven romps ("Zak and Sara," "The Ascent of Stan"), Suburbs marks a partial return to the writing style that made Ben Folds Five so successful. New additions to the sonic vocabulary include drum-machine hand claps, synthesizers, multitracked vocals, even guitars -- both acoustic ("Still Fighting It") and full-on electric (the hilarious title track, also a single). Integrating elements of all the things Folds does best -- biting irony, bittersweet tales, expertly crafted sketches -- the pianist seems to have reached a new level of comfort and consistency on this engaging record.

Ben Folds Live features concert recordings from Folds' 2002 solo piano tour. However, since most of his songs are dominated by piano anyway, hearing them without additional accompaniment doesn't offer much of a new twist. A cover of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and a pair of songs that don't appear on other albums hardly make Live a must-hear, either, though an included DVD featuring eight live video clips might entice fans. Instead of a proper follow-up to his solo debut, Folds released two EPs in rapid succession, which were available for sale online only. Sunny 16 and Speed Graphic feature five tracks, including one cover song each (the Cure's "In Between Days" on the first; Divine Comedy's "Songs of Love" on the second). While limited-edition EPs would seem the perfect place to experiment, the eight originals are mostly just standard Folds fare, and not particularly his best work. Sunny 16 is the more notable of the two, with humorously topical songs like "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You" and "Rock Star."

The Bens, released the same year, showcases the tantalizing union of Folds with indie-rock singer/songwriters Ben Lee and Ben Kweller. While the prospect of three Bens in one band might have been too good a novelty to pass up, in fact, the four-song collection scores on each track -- from the CSN-style harmonies of "Just Pretend" to the new-wavey romp of "Xfire." Like the best EPs, this one leaves you wanting more. (RONI SARIG)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide