NEW YORK SINGER/SONGWRITER BEN CARROLL RECORDS THE FIRST ALBUM RELEASED ON BLUE CLOUD RECORDS, THE NEWLY FORMED LABEL FROM FOUNDER OF ORCHID CLASSICS 2006 was a good year for Orchid Classics. The plaudits continued to come in for the classical label’s debut release, produced with the Imperial War Museum, London. Then came the release of the next two albums, ‘Blues’ and ‘Paris’, which between them received the Daily Telegraph’s CD of the Week, Classic FM’s CD of the Week, CD of the Month in string music bible The Strad (for each of them), and the label was hailed by Time Out as “showing the way for classical artists”. So an expansion seemed logical, but not just in the same direction. Orchid’s founder, the highly sought after British violinist Matthew Trusler, had long been interested in creating a separate label to release music of other genres, but had waited for the right opportunity to present itself. When he came across Ben Carroll’s MySpace page, it did. This, though, wasn’t the first time they’d met. As a student, Trusler spent several years studying at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the world's smallest and most elite training ground for classical musicians. “One of my best friends at Curtis was a wonderful violinist who had known and worked with Ben for years, and Ben came and stayed for a weekend. I just remember loving how he sang,” says Matthew. But the two didn’t meet again until brought back together by that most modern of musical phenomena, MySpace. “I was checking out my old friend’s page--and there was Ben. I listened to some tracks on his page and thought, that’s it. That’s what I want for the label.” Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Ben was hard at work on his new, second album with his dad Jon Carroll. Born into a thoroughly show-biz family, Carroll is the son of members of the Grammy-winning Starland Vocal Band, best known for their #1 hit Afternoon Delight in 1976. Ben’s father Jon was his main collaborator on ‘Real Thing’, producing, arranging and performing. And so, Ben Carroll becomes the first artist on the newly formed Blue Cloud Records. For Matthew the step seemed logical. “For me it’s about the quality. I think Ben’s music is original, it’s heartfelt and very touching, it’s deeply committed and it’s performed fantastically. He even has musicians from Curtis playing on the album--and that doesn’t happen very often.” Ben agrees that the collaborations on the record help to make it what it is. He talks with particular fondness of one track, recorded with the violinist who originally introduced him to Trusler. “I was lucky enough to get my old, dear friend, Nick Kendall in the studio for one day with my dad and me to work on "My Darling True". I did very little that day. I stepped back and watched my dad and Nick bounce ideas back and forth as they sculpted this gorgeous texture of a track; I later hung the chart on my wall.” Another area of real interest for Trusler was the possibility of bringing someone over from across the world, and introducing their music to the UK. “Ben is building a real career in the US,” he explains, “he doesn’t need my efforts over there. But here, I really think he deserves to be in the stores. It seems crazy in this day and age that there is such a musical gulf between our countries.” Indeed, the similarities between London and New York, the pair’s respective homes, are obvious, and Ben’s surroundings are not wasted on him, as he talks about life in New York City. “New York is an electric lover, she doesn't have patience for dead weight and she seems to enjoy honesty, diversity, economy; I'd like to think that shows up in my writing and playing. I also appreciate the experience of living in the middle of one of the world's greatest art magnets. We're all feeding each other.” "Real Thing...Yes he is. I’ve seen this handsome and charismatic New Yorker perform with just an acoustic guitar, and he killed. Possessing a clear, sweet voice and a satchel full of catchy folk-pop songs about life and love, he’s joined on his sophomore effort by papa Jon (of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s band), and they play everything. It’s a throwback sound, kinda early Nilsson, but more upbeat." -Dusty Wright, Culture Catch "The Orchid label holds plenty of surprises yet." -Time Out London ***** Ben Carroll’s soulful, powerful voice lives somewhere at the crossroads of Stevie Wonder and James Taylor—he’s captivating, distinctive, mesmerizing. With the help of his accomplished acoustic guitar playing, he moves his audiences with his plaintive songwriting, written from the heart and with a thoughtful, sometimes keen eye, while exploring the endless themes of love, of a search for a place and meaning in the world. A soul and folk artist at once, Carroll has steadily toured North America and Europe as a solo act since 2004. He released his debut solo album Lover Undercover in 2005 and his followup Real Thing in 2007 (on UK label Blue Cloud Records), which was number 1 for five weeks on AAA FM Radio in Ohio and was played on over fifty radio stations in the US and Europe. His songs have also been featured in television and film, most recently in Pier’s End Productions’ 2008 release “Wake”, which premiered at the Tribeca Cinema in New York City (home of the Tribeca Film Festival). Amore Magazine's reader poll voted Carroll a top solo artist, and his songwriting and performances have been celebrated by the New York Songwriters Circle and BMI New York. Coming from a musical family as the son of Grammy-winning Starland Vocal Band members ("Afternoon Delight", 1976), Carroll enjoyed a rich musical exposure in his childhood, chiefly in the veins of harmony-laden folk and pop of the 70s, and the R&B/Soul/Roots sounds of the deep south. These influences have been naturally integrated into his music, lustrously evoked by his poetic delivery and his voice of startling honesty and beauty. For full credits, bio and contacts, please visit www.bencarroll.com