It isn’t often that a popular recording artist collaborates with a famous novelist to make music gold, but that is exactly what happened when the album “Lonely Avenue” was created. The popular American singer/ songwriter Ben Folds was approached by the British author Nick Hornby over a year ago. Hornby gave Folds lyrics, which Folds strictly followed and wrote music to. Neither of them expected the album to be anything but a side project, but the album’s popularity rose out of its release date Dec. 9, 2010.

The album has a wide variety of tunes, from blues to rock to retro 70s-style riffs, and everything in between. The lyrics are written by an author, so mini storylines rise out of Folds’ musical genius.

Many of the songs, “Levi Johnston’s Blues” and “Claire’s Ninth” to name a couple, follow closely the adventures of a character. This story-quality adds to the charm of “Lonely Avenue”.

Although the album is short, only 51 minutes in total, it leaves no room for “fillers.” Every song is unique and catchy.

Hornby has a very distinct style of writing, but this is not to say that the album lacks variety. Folds makes sure to diversify the songs by having an array of instruments. These include his classic piano and backgrounds of orchestration, electric guitars, and synthesizers. Or, in the case of the angsty “Saskia Hamilton”, all of the above.

The listener is sure to relate to the album’s mixture of melodies. Such topics as love, divorce, politics, death, and hope are sprinkled throughout the songs. They provide the depth that ensures the listeners will connect to the music.

In a true Ben Fold’s fashion, sentimentality is key. Most of the songs are told as past experiences and life lessons. The lyrics are simple, but meaningful. Hornby adorns his writing with an abundance of metaphors and symbols, while Folds sets the perfect key for the tone (no pun intended) of the lyrics.

The album is short and sweet. The songs run at a fast pace, but with the simple press of a button, you can keep them running on repeat.  And you will want to.