Ben Lee is preparing his sixth solo album, with a little help from his pop star friends.
The little Aussie-made-good is working on his next album 'Ripe' which is tentatively slated for a September release. He writes on his myspace blog that he's on the home stretch of recording, and has included studio shots and video of his guests: Benji Madden of Good Charlotte, Mandy Moore, and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek.Uber-positive citizen of the world Lee has gifted his fans with a running commentary on the album. He compared backing vocals to the chorus in Greek tragedies before reporting on Benji Madden and members of LA-band Rooney efforts. Mandy Moore worked on a "50's style duet" called 'Birds And Bees', apparently loosely based on 'Summer Lovin'' from 'Grease'. There's also a video of him and his mother jamming on a song called 'Heart And Soul'.
Some other song titles include 'What Would Jay-Z Do?', 'American TV', 'Love' and 'Sex Without Love'. Lee told Spin Magazine that 'Ripe' is "about [life's] ups and downs, and sadness, and sex, and all the things that are so fun and scary about being a human, and feeling ready for it."
