A couple months back, I came across Ben Sollee at The Mercury Lounge when he opened for Plants & Animals. Sitting alone center stage, Sollee enthralled the crowd with beautifully constructed songs made out of nothing more than his creative skills with the cello and his haunting voice. Strumming and plucking, Sollee is about to do for the cello what Andrew Bird did for the violin. If you haven't heard his fabulous cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," you might have caught him as part of The Sparrow Quartet, which also features Bela Fleck.

He's also not shy about voicing his opinion. In response to the Kanye West debacle at this year's Bonnaroo and the singer's refusal to except one iota of responsibility for the fiasco, Sollee has taken him to ask in "Dear Kanye." In his musical open letter, Sollee reminds West of the immense influence he possesses and chastises him for squandering that opportunity, telling him, "you don't need a light show, just good flow." It's a very well written tune and says things to Kanye that surely no one else is saying.

You can listen to "Dear Kanye" here.

Labels: Ben Sollee