Ever look at a photograph of an unbelievably attractive person and get an instant impression of how they would sound? And then you actually hear their voice and discover - much to your understandable dismay - that you were horribly wrong (think of all those "straight-looking/straight-acting" men who open their mouths and speak like one of the girls from S Club 7). Well, I have some good news and I have some bad news: Ben Hartt's voice is every bit is sensual and enticing as all outward appearances promise. That was the good news and the bad news. After all, how could anyone sit and stare at that God-wrought mug, listen to such an enticingly sexy voice and not spontaneously combust with desire? Anyone with a pulse, that is.

In the Backstreet/Britney/bubblegum world of modern pop, there are very few musical demands placed on those figures possessed of a good hairdresser and killer cheekbones. It is, therefore, doubly refreshing to experience a musical talent that is ... well, a musical talent. And, above and beyond a good hairdresser and killer cheekbones (both quite necessary tools in the pop trade), Ben Hartt does indeed have musical talent.

True, while listening to Hartt's inaugural CD hyperblue, one will not collapse as the result of any stunning philosophical revelation. Nor should they. However, head nodding, shoulder popping and actual dancing are all quite likely reactions given the up-tempo nature of this young crooner's debut efforts. The music - energetic electronica that has become the soundtrack for the current gay "scene" - is brisk, enjoyable, well-conceived pop.

Hartt's vocal style, a breathy and soulful coo reminiscent of early Erasure, is on a equal footing with his alluring persona - the boy next door out for a night of fun on the town. The marked human touch in the delivery of each song (not as easy a feat as one might think in this genre) keeps the material accessible and gives it an appealingly personal edge. He sings to each and every one of his listeners, it would seem, with the same attention and intensity as those to whom the songs are addresed or directed. In this regard, Hartt's frequent use of gender-neutral pronouns is a clever approach to reaching - and touching - as wide an audience as possible. The cumulative effect is a full CD's worth of serenades, and in a world of mass-market mish-mash, such an open approach is a welcome one.

On some cuts, such as Standby (complete with modern "doo-wop" girls), Hartt seems to take on the persona of an innocent '50s heartthrob. On others (Take Me Back and You Let Me Down, in particular), he is the wounded voice of love unrequired and lover betrayed, pulling it off wth the conviction of one who knows all too well what the whole thing is all about.

While hyperblue sounds like it "belongs" in the darkness of a CD player, the same can be said of the album's place in the darkness of a club, I had the fortunate opportunity to hear selections of Hartt's CD played in one of Calgary's most prominent nightspots, its track "beefed up" and supported by an underscoring of generic drum n' bass. The results were more than impressive, And, if the reaction of the crowd gathered for Hartt's live performance at Edmonton's The Curtain Rises fundraiser was any indication, the only place that this new talent can go at this point in his career, is up. Hurrah and huzzah for homegrown talent. - by John Ayres