Ben Harpers new album

[rincon]

I always liked Ben Harper.  Very eclectic dude. His new album, "Give till it's gone" got me from the opening riffs. I might be going out on a limb here, but I think of anything I have heard by him, the MMJ fans here would like this album. It is not folksy or R&B or Reggae, like much of his stuff, but for a lack of better way to simply sum it up, it sounds "Indie Rock". I have listened to it a few times, and regardless of the lukewarm reviews I have read, I like it.

[lucylew]

I never give reviews much weight - unless it's "my" review.  Ben can do no wrong.

[youreveningcoat]

I saw him playing on Letterman, never heard him before but he sounded pretty good 

[iLikeBeer]

I got forced into going to a DMB show in Philly about 10 years ago (it was at the Vet) and Ben Harper was the opening act.  I had never heard of him at the time, but he completely stole the show for me!  I went out and scarffed up his entire collection the week after that show and have been a fan of his ever since! 

[Jaimoe]

I bailed on Ben around 5-6 years ago, about the time he started playing more standard guitar (instead of his trademark and innovative Weissenborn lap-slide) and was fronting an expanded band. He stepped back a bit too much and let his band share alot of the spotlight. Didn't work, and the music was fucking boring. I hear he's got some of his old mojo back and has assumed playing the Weissenborn more often. All good. Now, let's hope he NEVER collaborates with Jack Johnson ever again. 

[Ghosts_on_TV]

I got forced into going to a DMB show in Philly about 10 years ago (it was at the Vet) and Ben Harper was the opening act.  I had never heard of him at the time, but he completely stole the show for me!  I went out and scarffed up his entire collection the week after that show and have been a fan of his ever since! 

I was there too. Both nights, actually.

[capt. scotty]

I never give reviews much weight - unless it's "my" review.  Ben can do no wrong.

I thought this for awhile, but Lifeline was terrible. Its got a couple decent songs, but Paris Sunrise #7 > Lifeline is the only great thing that album has to offer. Ive liked all his albums besides Lifeline to varying degrees, but he hasnt had a great album since Burn To Shine.

Just my thoughts, who knows if its right, but I kind of think BH (Ben Harper, not our BH) realized his sound was getting stale and thats why he ditched the Innocent Criminals and made the Relentless7 album (which are the backing band on Give Til Its Gone though its credited as a solo BH album), and as much as I love the IC's, so far Id say it was a good decision. The Relentless7 album is pretty damn good, and Im really liking GTIG.

[lucylew]

I won't say Lifeline is my fave, but it has it's place in my collection.  It's pretty damn good Sunday morning music in my opinion.

[capt. scotty]

I won't say Lifeline is my fave, but it has it's place in my collection.  It's pretty damn good Sunday morning music in my opinion.

If Im listening to some sunday morning BH, its the album with Blind Boys of Alabama, There Will Be A Light...I cant compare it to his other albums because its a collaboration and purposefully gospel rooted, but I really like that album. The Live @ Apollo album from that tour is great as well.

TWBAL also kind of has a special/disappointing place in my mind/heart, because I remember my mom driving me back from college sophomore year in '04, and telling me they were getting divorced, and really the only thing I remember from that car ride besides the sadness was listening to There Will Be A Light

[capt. scotty]

I always liked Ben Harper.  Very eclectic dude. His new album, "Give till it's gone" got me from the opening riffs. I might be going out on a limb here, but I think of anything I have heard by him, the MMJ fans here would like this album. It is not folksy or R&B or Reggae, like much of his stuff, but for a lack of better way to simply sum it up, it sounds "Indie Rock". I have listened to it a few times, and regardless of the lukewarm reviews I have read, I like it.

I think similar to MMJ, Ben Harper's sound really spans a lot of different genres. Based on that, its hard to say what BH album I would recommend to a MMJ fan who hasnt listened to him (which Id guess are few and far between because it seems most big MMJ fans listen to a lot of music, so Im guessing theyve heard of BH), but if Im recommending Ben Harper to any Jacket fan, it starts and ends with Fight For Your Mind...Thats simply 1 of the best albums ever made, and if you dont like a band/artists best album, more often than not you arent gonna like that band

[capt. scotty]

I bailed on Ben around 5-6 years ago, about the time he started playing more standard guitar (instead of his trademark and innovative Weissenborn lap-slide) and was fronting an expanded band. He stepped back a bit too much and let his band share alot of the spotlight. Didn't work, and the music was fucking boring. I hear he's got some of his old mojo back and has assumed playing the Weissenborn more often. All good. Now, let's hope he NEVER collaborates with Jack Johnson ever again.

Mostly because of my age, I didnt get into Ben until around 2000 (26 now, 16 then, mostly listened to classic rock or alt rock, angry teen music, etc back then). What really first drew me in was the Weissenborn and electric lap slide, as well as his voice/emotion that he put into the music. By the point I got into him, he really had pushed the weissenborn to the side, and the electric lap slide to a lesser degree. Back then, it didnt bother me much because he still played predominantly songs from his first few albums at shows (i think i first saw him in 03), but from Diamonds On The Inside to today, I wish he went back to what made him so special in the first place, and thats the voice + weissenborn/electric lap slide. 

Up until the late 90's, I think he basically sat in a chair because of the guitars he played during shows, but still put on killer shows. Now, he rarely plays lap guitars and tries to create energy by his actions, not the music. Still a good concert though

[ChiefOKONO]

For me, you nailed it.  His vibe just isn't the same and i don't think the songs are as good either.  After the diamonds album, i think he had some good unreleased songs but they never ended up coming out.  I now am pretty nonchalant about trying to see him live.. i didn't love the relentless 7 shows i saw either.  hopefully he is writing better music now and doing what he does best on the slide.

another lame move was that they ended up completely revamping the Ben site to focus more on him after the ICs were disbanded and in the process they removed the forum which was a great community.  that was pretty sad to me...

I also hate jack johnson!

I bailed on Ben around 5-6 years ago, about the time he started playing more standard guitar (instead of his trademark and innovative Weissenborn lap-slide) and was fronting an expanded band. He stepped back a bit too much and let his band share alot of the spotlight. Didn't work, and the music was fucking boring. I hear he's got some of his old mojo back and has assumed playing the Weissenborn more often. All good. Now, let's hope he NEVER collaborates with Jack Johnson ever again.

[beatnikdaddio]

another lame move was that they ended up completely revamping the Ben site to focus more on him after the ICs were disbanded and in the process they removed the forum which was a great community.  that was pretty sad to me...

THIS!

i was very active on the benharper.net board for several years ('98-'03) and was very sad too to see it gone after returning from an absence. i had the opportunity to meet ben a few times and he knew what a great community of caring, loyal fans he had there, which confused me even more that he would allow it to be disbanded.

as for ben, his music fell out of favor with me when he stood up. he seemed stiff and unnatural and the music lost quite a bit of its 'soul'. the energy the man could project while sitting down playing his lap-slide was ten-fold what he projects now live.

as far as the quintessential 'must have' ben album, or the one to introduce people to ben, it would be 'fight for your mind'. an amazing album all the way through.

[Jaimoe]

It's totally unacceptable for Ben to defer solos to a standard lead guitarist. It's like going to see B.B. King and then having one of his bandmates do all the leads. And Ben just ain't that interesting as a standard player whether he solos are not.

[rincon]

Holy Crap! Such opinions about sitting down and other band members. I just thought it was a cool album.

[Jaimoe]

Holy Crap! Such opinions about sitting down and other band members. I just thought it was a cool album.

That's the way it goes with BH.  Perhaps Ben has been taking his lap-slide for granted, but his old fans don't. He's be better off in a trio of four-piece. Keep the focus back on him moreso. Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding are cool, but they ain't Jimi Hendrix.

[capt. scotty]

the benharper.net forum is really the only other band's forum besides the Jacket Ive ever really been one (though certainly not as much as here..I remember there being a Dillsnufus there I think, but I dont think Ive ever seen the Dills here pop up in a Ben thread)). I also was blown away they just got rid of it for seemingly no reason. In a vacuum, I liked the R7 album and change because Lifeline was alarmingly bad and I think he needed the change. I think the vibe was purposefully different at those shows. Time will tell if its the same for the upcoming tour (I dont think Im seeing any shows), but I thought he still put on a great showwith a good vibe the last time I saw him (probably 07). I fully agree he's best suited on the slide, he should never have another guitarist in the band, and they were best as the quartet, but he still puts on a great show.

Now I dont by any means think his music is as good today as his first few albums, but Im amazed at how many people here arent even giving him a chance any more because he might only be sitting 50% of the time at his shows. I find his and MMJ's career arcs to be pretty similar. Is the vibe at Jacket shows the same now as it was in '03 - small venues and setlists where you loved every song? No, and neither is Ben Harper now compared to '97, but that doesnt mean they both dont put on a good show still. MMJ has the now classic that put them on the map (At Dawn), as does Ben (WTTCWorld), the albums that gained them big critical acclaim, a larger fanbase, and that many consider their best album and sound (ISM and FFYMind), and the still great album that really made them blow up (Z and BTShine) on the music scene. Neither band has released albums or maintained a sound that rivals their first few albums, nor shown any hints of doing so in the future, but theyre still putting out good music. I doubt many of you expect the Jacket to ever release an album as good as AD, ISM, or Z (if you do, you shouldnt), yet youre still here and excited for Circuital. I dont get it.

[Jaimoe]

I'm teetering on the brink of bailing on MMJ for good if the new album isn't at least above satisfactory (I've heard two tracks; I liked the title song). EU was a failure with a few good moments. I don't know if I can take 2 or more albums in a row of mediocrity. Ben put out a few great early albums, then started to stink out the joint. I don't care about him anymore; I've moved on (I did the same with Phish). I hope MMJ are different, but nothing off EU has continuted to grab my attention, which is truly sad.

[rincon]

I'm teetering on the brink of bailing on MMJ for good if the new album isn't at least above satisfactory (I've heard two tracks; I liked the title song). EU was a failure with a few good moments. I don't know if I can take 2 or more albums in a row of mediocrity. Ben put out a few great early albums, then started to stink out the joint. I don't care about him anymore; I've moved on (I did the same with Phish). I hope MMJ are different, but nothing off EU has continuted to grab my attention, which is truly sad.

Based on this post, I would not get my hopes up. The best thing about the new album is it is Jim singing, and that makes it good. I personally don't see it as any better than EU, which I like.

[capt. scotty]

I'm teetering on the brink of bailing on MMJ for good if the new album isn't at least above satisfactory (I've heard two tracks; I liked the title song). EU was a failure with a few good moments. I don't know if I can take 2 or more albums in a row of mediocrity. Ben put out a few great early albums, then started to stink out the joint. I don't care about him anymore; I've moved on (I did the same with Phish). I hope MMJ are different, but nothing off EU has continuted to grab my attention, which is truly sad.

Oh, come on now. I'll admit when an artist I like releases a shit album (see Lifeline, John Butler Trio's latest April Uprising (also a shame that he's gotten away from the slide guitar),or Phish's last 3), but Diamonds on the Inside, Both Sides of the Gun, the album with Blind Boys of Alabama, and this new one are 75% solid. I understand they dont stand up to his first 4, but who outside of like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, or the Stones are releasing their best album on their 10th album or over 15 years after their debut??? I dont see how you can have standards like not liking a band anymore if they release a few bad albums and still like more than a handful of bands.