Ben Harper, with his new backing band Relentless7, has just released a powerful new album, White Lies for Dark Times. This new album is laden with screaming guitars, powerful drums, and an energy that could be direct from Yasgur‘s Farm.
Heavier Blues-Rock Sound From Ben Harper and Relentless7
Ben Harper has turned in his previous band, The Innocent Criminals, for a harder rocking band, Relentless7. The change is dramatic. Relentless7 is straight up blues-rock, and so is White Lies for Dark Times.
There is very little of the musical variety on White Lies for Dark Times that his fans have come to expect from Ben Harper. Gone are the forays into folk, reggae, and funk that make Harper so unique. White Lies for Dark Times has two gears: soft and hard, with nothing in between.
White Lies for Dark Times Offers Mighty Grooves, Quality Songwriting
Despite their lack of variation, Ben Harper and Relentless7 excel at what they do. White Lies for Dark Times is a superb example of marrying rock to blues without it sounding like an awful early 70‘s cover band. On the contrary, Ben Harper and Relentless7 have evoked shadows of The Yardbirds, The Rolling Stones, and every teenager who has ever picked up a guitar and dreamed of playing the Blues.
Special recognition should be made for the drums on White Lies for Dark Times. Relentless7 drummer Jordan Richardson pounds the drums like John Bonham crossed with Animal from the Muppets. The drums are so hot on songs “Boots Like These” and “Lay There and Hate Me” that the CD threatened to melt. On other songs on the album, they are steady, groove-laden and especially, loud.
Is New Sound From Harper Permanent?
With a new band behind him and a quality album, fans have to wonder if Ben Harper plans on making this new sound permanent. A representative of Ben Harper recently told Billboard Magazine that Harper’s previous band, The Innocent Criminals, have not broken up, and that Harper merely wants to try something new with Relentless7.
This would not be the first time that Harper has experimented with his sound. One example would be the release of 2004’s There Will Be a Light, the stellar Gospel-Blues album that he did with the Blind Boys of Alabama.
It is this experimentation that makes Ben Harper so unique, whether it is with the Innocent Criminals, Relentless7, or the Blind Boys of Alabama. In the case of White Lies for Dark Times, fans may have a reason to worry. This foray into pure Blues-Rock may make him more popular than he bargained for, turning him into the next Lenny Kravitz. Once he goes Rock, he might not be able to stop.
If Harper can not resist the pull of superstardom, it will be a great tragedy in music. Modern music needs more, not less, musicians that can fill the gaps between music genres. While White Lies for Dark Times is truly a great album, this author can only hope that Ben Harper is not seduced by Rock and Roll.
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