“Rugged, raspy, and roaring with charisma, Halifax’s Ben Caplan is to folklore what smoke is to bourbon. Perfectly coupled. Ben’s songwriting is as bold in range as it is in ferocity. Fueled by a quality of melodrama and powerful lyricism, it’s the romance and the manhood crashing with his voice that gives Caplan a truly innovative and experimental artistry. A sound that bridges the gap between controlled composition and unruly passion. Striding in pace with gypsy-inspired strings amid the sultry tones of clarinet and saxophone, Caplan has marked his place in the Canadian music landscape with a growling spirit similar to that of Tom Waits. Breaking between guitar, banjo, piano, and melodica, Caplan’s stage show is almost reminiscent of a burly and bearded Freddy Mercury; a raging, strong, and exploratory songwriter, it’s the blues in his soul, and the heart in your chest pounding as one that makes Ben Caplan & The Casual Smokers an act not to be missed.” (Source: Audioblood)
Liked this? Check out Ben Caplan’s Under Control.
Find Caplan’s Album on iTunes here.
Live & Learn 
A little bit different. Would be interesting to hear if he can do other kinds of songs.
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He is different. That’s what hooked me to stop and listen
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Wonderful! 🙂
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I loved it to B*, thank you.
On Sat, Apr 5, 2014 at 2:31 AM, Live & Learn wrote:
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I love all of it!! His voice reminds me of Bob Seger…
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Yes, he does. Very distinctive.
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i love the first line of this review. and i love his raspy bluesy voice, riffing along, kind of sounds like a jazzy instrument. thanks d.
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Throaty, jazzy, bluesy, yes….all that Beth
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What a review! That alone made me love this guy. I get the Tom Waits comparison, but this song, at least, had a jumpy-joy quality. I think he’d be a gas to see in person.
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It was a great view Sandy. I agree. Lot of energy in that package.
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I wonder how much sales jump for the artists featured on L&L.
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Ha!
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I’m torn–his voice is wonderful….lush, smoky, sexy, very Tom Waits, Ray LaMontagne-ish, which I LOVE, while the tune itself seemed very Michael Buble-ish. Odd union. Need to hear more….
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I’d like to called it unique or different (rather than odd) 🙂 But agree with your take.
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