Sometimes you just want to bask in the warm, womb-like aura of Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Wet Lands and enjoy the tranquility of the moment, feeling like you’ve been suspended in motion, in a pool of highly salinized water... and other times you just want to screw someone’s brains out in an small inflatable pool. Australian crooner Donny Benét’s soft and sweaty post-disco balladry is for those times where you’re somewhere in between. A back-breaking drill session in a state of tranquil, primordial bliss. Sign me up, baby! Mr Experience is the fifth album by the bed-room eyed Benét and retains much of the Bryan Ferry flare and pepped up Jan Hammer accompaniments of his previous releases, delivered here with a relaxed, enticing confidence that is welcomingly sensual and deliciously earnest. When I first encountered Benét’s work, I thought, “oh, this is like Har Mar Superstar, but less nervous and a lot less punk.” After giving Mr Experience a through listening though, I can confirm that he is mush less anxious sounding then HMS, but possibly as, or more, punk rock, depending on how you define the term. If punk is living your truth and being who you were meant to be without bowing to ingrained inhibitions than Benét is PUNK AS FUCK! Highlights from this album include the seductive rolling sway of “Reach Out,” and the bouncy biting bass and synth groove of “Moving On,” that cuts through the scrumptious melody like a laser cutter through a sheet of genoise. Also check out, the whistle accented melody and strolling, magnetic purr of “Girl of My Dreams,” the effortless glide of “Negroni Summer,” and the shadowy electro-funk dive of "One Night in Paradise." What lessons can one take from all this abundance of sensuality? Who knows?!? But if you spend the next 10,000 hours of your life listening to Mr Experience then you might just become an expert in loving making in time to hit the dating scene once it opens back up.
