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1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Fantastic CD Mar 06, 2006
I am enjoying this CD immensely. Ari Hest has an incredible voice and the band does a great job with the musical accompaniment. I can't wait to see them perform in person.
awesome cd Dec 07, 2005
Ari Hest is amazingly talented I went to one of his concerts and had to buy this cd, his voice is clear as a bell and jazzy and hes just an great singer/songwriter my fav's on the cd are anne marie , a fond farewell, fascinate you and consistancy... he also has one song I love called caught up in your love but its not on this cd, every song is great though you really cant go wrong theres not one bad one on the whole cd !
3 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Honest and Straightforward Nov 05, 2005
Judging from the gist of his material, it certainly does seem as though Ari Hest could use someone to tell his problems to. Someone to Tell plays like a statement of purpose, as though it were coming from someone who has been denied for most of his young life, and trying to do something about it. With a strong yet lyrical voice, he sings of escape, paranoia and the defense mechanisms necessary to survive in a world that offers little but requires much. Survival is the underlying theme here, and he tackles the subject with a direct force that is impressive but ultimately cloistered and humorless.
The first single is a perky pop song titled "They're On to Me", and like the title suggests, it portrays the paranoia that ensues when a specific subject is dwelt on endlessly. "Monsters" covers very similar lyrical ground, especially when he sings "Once you start to question yourself, the road you take leads down, down, and this goes to show you, ignorance is underrated." For some reason that is never stated explicitly, Hest feels the need to battle the monsters that exist both inside and outside of his head. "A Fond Farewell" begins with him singing, "My mother once told me the thicker your skin, the better off you'll be when this world brings you down". It all suggests that he is prepared to fight for himself, but still bracing for the fall that seems ultimately inevitable. "Aberdeen" expresses the same theme again, when it addresses the protagonist's need to escape the suffocating atmosphere of a small town, without making clear whether he has the wherewithal to actually follow through. Even the love songs follow this same mindset, especially on "Fascinate You," where he narrates a tale of a man who sublimates his own identity to impress a potential lover, but with frustrating results. Despite all of this personal turmoil, the songs themselves are relatively straightforward, melodic, and catchy, suggesting a folksy cross between Teddy Thompson and Dave Matthews, with standard pop-rock arrangements.
The way I figure it, if Ari Hest had to fight this hard to get to where he's at, far be it from me to knock him down a peg. I respect his resolve, and I appreciate his music. The only real fault here is that he spends so much time being honest without ever revealing much about himself. The difference between being self-absorbed and self-obsessed is marked by attracting an audience, or alienating them. I just hope that he doesn't get any more self-serious than he already is. B+ Tom Ryan
Amazing, but better in concert Sep 27, 2005
This is an amazing CD that I would recommend to anyone out there that loves good music. I would also encourage you to get Story After Story and anything else of Ari Hest's that you can get your hands on. Also, if you ever get the chance to see Ari in concert, GO! He is an amazing artist (with or without a band behind him). I was lucky enough to recently see him in a lowkey concert setting and was absolutely blown away, you get what's on the CD and sooooooooo much more. This CD is worth the money. buy it.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Awesome CD Sep 11, 2005
Gotta say, I love Ari, especially Live. Like many reviews here, I have to say that this is a rehash of several of his BEST songs. Only problem I have with this cd, is it is missing, his best song, vocally "This Fight". Other than that, this cd is great. The re-recordings if the older songs, are almost always improved. The couple of new songs, are also worthy. People are calling him a Mayer rip off, first off, he started around the same time as mayer, and his sound hasn't changed. So, to call him a MAyer rip off, is ridiculous.
His music is most likkely too sensitive for most of the masses to "set", hence the poor reviews he recieves. Most people are looking for shallow music, and this isn't it (try Mayer's 2nd release for shallow schlock).
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