Album Review: Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals

I think it's apropos to start off with a rant on one of my favorite bands at the moment, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. I just purchased their latest album, "Lifeline" and I must say, it's incredible. Recorded right after an exhausting 8-month stint across Europe, Harper and his croonies deliver an album dripping with musical artistry. Because it was recorded in just 7 days, the album has a very "live" and impromtu feeling to it. The lyrics are subtly poignant and the sound is reminicant of good rock from years passed. David Fricke of Rolling Stone put it best when he wrote that, "the performances sound confident and natural, not forced, lazy or merely naked. And the simple attractions in the modest arrangements... hold up, even bloom, with repeated listening." Fricke explains that "it's not that less is more -- only that, in that moment, less is perfect."

Song to listen to: "Younger Than Today"

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