My Crazy Music Blog:
With a tremulous, expressive voice backed by a well-handled folk guitar, Bhi Bhiman’s music has a poeticism and originality of interpretation that at its best recalls Joan Baez and the folk-rock early days of Bob Dylan. His style is an interesting study in perspective and thoughtfulness, and somehow confounds expectations that the audience might not have realized they had. Read more
Burning Wood:
The Cookbook has a swingin’, soulful, country blues feel that just suckers you in. Lyrically, [Bhi Bhiman] is topical, hysterical and heartbreaking. And on tracks like “Loving You” and “Telouise,” Bhi Bhiman’ vocals and harmonies will make you melt. Read more
San Jose Mercury:
Richard Julian’s a fine songwriter with a beguiling voice and a spiffy guitar style, and you may know him from the Little Willies, the informal New York country band that also includes superstar Norah Jones. Tickets for the Freight shows are $14.50 in advance at www.ticketweb.com. Bhi Bhiman, a local up-and-comer with a caustic blue-state wit and a soulful voice, opens all the shows. Read more.
Burlingame Daily News:
San Franciscan artist Bhi Bhiman wraps his soulful voice around a flavorful collection of R&B, blues, reggae, country and rocking tunes. Despite the wide range of ingredients, Bhiman’s unique approach blends the album into a cohesive, captivating whole. The album’s lyrics are clever and thought provoking. Read more
Local IQ (Albuquerque):
It only makes good sense that the next great American folk hero/political voice is a very un-white, first-generation Sri-Lankan American. Bhi Bhiman (bee-bee-man) is arguably the wittiest and angriest person to pick up a guitar in the last 30 years and wield it like an aural hatchet aimed at chopping the head off all that’s wrong in the world. Read more
Santa Fe Reporter:
San Francisco singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman blazes through the Southwest with his witty lyrics and soulful folk tunes. On tour to support his freshman release, Bhiman promises an eclectic performance.
Denver Westword:
The coffee-shop acoustic on his newly released solo album, The Cookbook, blends a mixture of sweet Southern gospel, backwoods pickin’ and hippie-headed California folk music. Read more
CD Baby Customer Reviews:
“Literate, creative lyrics carried on a rich and tasty voice.”
“Bhi’s voice is simply amazing. It’s so unique and so genuine that it makes a person come to attention and listen to his excellent song writing.”
“Bhi Bhiman has cooked up a tantalizing album with a fresh new sound. If this is a cookbook, its chock full of delicious yet varied flavors. I’d say that the music is eclectic but not as a euphemism for too weird to listen to as that word is sometimes used. The music is funky and rocks but there are some nice smoother tunes as well.”
“Bhiman’s debut album features a voice that disguises his youth and captivating lyrics. With each song, it also demonstrates his ability to move in and out of different musical genres.”
“This album is pretty phenomenal for an artists first recording effort. Its very much a throwback to a lot of great pop music from all walks of life. Country, rock, reggae, blues, R&B. I am definitely a fan. This is an artist everyone should look out for, but it probably wont be long before you have heard the name Bhi Bhiman.”
The Daily Kos:
Terror, Terror, Freedom, Freedom, Dubya, Dubya, Nascar, Nascar.” is the refrain throughout Talkin’ NASCAR, and though the words don’t look funny or catchy when written down, they are surprisingly both when sung by Bhiman. For political junkies, the song delivers on a few levels… it mercilessly mocks the Bush Administration and its cronies, as well as the politics of fear. On top of this, it has a great rhythm that might help settle the nerves and lower the blood pressure if you happen to be stressed during this primary season. Read more
Performer Magazine:
On ‘Up in Arms,’ a thick, stretching ballad with sparse, distant guitar, Bhiman’s fiery lyrics and well-pronounced vocals are showcased front and center. His deliciously sarcastic side shines on the blues number “White Man’s Burden Blues;” the bite of the song accentuated by the fact that Bhiman manages to cram every stereotype and denigrating term into it, while peppering them with brief but sweet harmonica solos. “You Gotta Move” is a fierce, catchy anthem that calls to mind Hamell on Trial, as Bhiman works his literate, politically-charged lyrics around a heavy electric guitar track and another distant harmonica.
SF Chronicle:
Pronounced “Bee Bee-men,” this first-generation Sri Lankan American musician is pretty sure there’s no one else in the world with his name. Even if there is, chances are no other Bhi Bhiman could write a song as cool and catchy as the Bay Area’s Bhi Bhiman can.
SF Bay Guardian:
The first thing you notice about Bhiman is his voice; it’s instantly striking and unique, a slapdash mixture of Bill Withers, Richie Havens, and Little Richard. Of course, a good voice alone can’t carry an act if the songs aren’t there, but luckily they are, displaying the folky troubadour aesthetic of Bob Dylan and the wry eye for detail of Randy Newman.
Willamette Week (Portland):
I don’t expect much to come of vague emails from touring singer-songwriters, but when I clicked the link to Bhi Bhiman’s website, I was blown away. First by his embodiment of an aging Black Panther in “Up in Arms,” wherein he sings, “This bitch-ass crackhead has his gun up to my face” before ending the song with a gunshot. Then I heard “Equal in My Tea,” which follows a complex relationship through multiple stages of antagonism and effortlessly relates it to the eventual collapse of the American empire. The final straw was “International Hater,” which opens with the lines “God is a Warriors fan/ Satan loves the Lakers,” then rhymes “Lakers” with “rapist.” You get the idea. Did I mention that Bhiman sings like a traveling Dust Bowl folkie crossed with Nina Simone? I’ll be there.
Sound on the Sound:
Bhiman’s song’s are nearly always inhabited by an outspoken protagonist with a distinct voice. As songs progress, each voice becomes a developed character, with an identifiable history and line of thought, a reason for being. Rarely is a song a disjointed or unfocused set of lyrics. Instead songs reveal a story, both personal and cultural. While each song may come from a different point of view, Bhiman’s personal character in all this is apparent.
SF Free Folk Festival:
He is just a guy with a guitar when it comes right down to it. And there are a million of them lately. I call them The Songwriter Army. Yet somehow just a few of seconds into one of his songs, it is apparent that Bhi is not one of your run-of-the-mill songsters. His voice is urgent and distinctive. It’s true, as his press kit says, you can hear some Dylan and Bob Marley at times. But I am reminded more of Nina Simone, especially in his flair for the dramatic and in his exceptional vocal range. And they also share a barely contained outrage, especially when dealing with social injustice and other global concerns. His songs deftly mix observations of daily life, pop culture, and broader political matters. He also has a playwright’s affection for words and clever turns of phrases. Best of all, he wraps it all up in a disarming sense of humor.
San Fran Voice:
Indeed, the first track, Up in Arms (Minister of Defense) strums up the ghost of Phil Ochs in both voice and content. But a further listen to the CD shows off additional sides of Bhiman which make him appear to be a more well-rounded musician than Ochs was. He’s got some blues under his belt, he’s got some classic rock in the strength of his voice and he’s got a strong sense of poetry in his lyrics. In other words, Bhiman takes the politics and poetics of the generations to come before him and uses them as inspiration to act as one of the voices of his generation.
California Aggie:
Bhi Bhiman jams on his acoustic guitar, creating folky numbers while wailing intelligent political lyrics in a soulful Cee-Lo-esque voice. Dig it.