Album Review: Donny Benet - Mr Experience

A new Donny Benét album usually signals that it is time to burn baby burn with wild abandon on the discotheque dancefloor. The title track certainly breaks out the mirror balls and platform shoes to revel in the delightfully old school disco vibes. Similarly, Moving Up funks it up while optimistically making plans for the future. Classic electro disco arpeggiations are deployed to maximal feelgood effect for the steamy One Night In Paradise and Benét’s electro disco moves recall the genre’s slide into electro during '80s. The sweet romantic gestures of Girl Of My Dreams and Take A Trip sees Benét slackening the pace to embrace a mellow kind of '80s Euro synth pop with glamourous soft Balearic vibes.

Benét’s modest vocals know their limits, but he strategically tailors his songs to suit his voice. Singing about eating a lot of food and consequentially getting fat may seem like an odd premise for the song Second Dinner, but Benét’s quirky approach shows us that he knows how to charm listeners so that they suspend disbelief for the duration of the song and just enjoy the moment. Mr Experience offers feelgood respite from these strange and uncertain times.