Ben Harper : Give Till It’s Gone

It feels as though Ben Harper is trying to prove just as much to himself as much as to listeners that he still has something to say both musically...
Ben Harper : Give Till It's Gone
6.5 Virgin
2011 
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Ben Harper : Give Till It's Gone A lot has happened in Ben Harper’s life lately.  Of note was his divorce last year from actress Laura Dern, with whom he shares two children.  Making music is what the man does best and he has poured himself into bountiful releases recently.  His latest is called Give Till It’s Gone, and is his first solo album proper in five years, the last being 2006‘s double album Both Sides of the Gun.  However, Both Sides was definitely not the last time listeners heard from Harper.  Namely was his supergroup collaboration Fistful of Mercy (QRO photos) with Joseph Arthur (QRO album review) and George Harrison’s son Dhani with their 2010 album As I Call You Down.  He also released Lifeline in 2007 as Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals as well as White Lies For Dark Times in 2009 as the more alternative Ben Harper and Relentless7.  But the most compelling thing about Give Till It’s Gone is that – likely in light of recent events – it feels as though he is trying to prove just as much to himself as much as to listeners that he still has something to say both musically and lyrically.

Harper has had more than one connection to The Beatles recently.  Aside from the aforementioned Fistful of Mercy, and assuredly more exciting for the beloved singer-songwriter, is that an actual Beatle makes an appearance on Give Till It’s Gone.  That Beatle is Ringo Starr and he appears both singing and playing drums on the laid back piano-driven “Spilling Faith” and the near six-minute instrumental epic “Get There From Here.”

Another collaboration is present on “Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn” with music legend Jackson Browne.  Give Till It’s Gone was recorded at Browne’s Los Angeles studio.  This song is ultimately the most touching on the album with its theme of hoping and praying that love will outlast all the ugliness of the world.  If this entire album could be boiled down into one track, this would be it.

Give Till It’s Gone is a commendable effort but ultimately falls short when compared to some of Harper’s previous albums such as Fight For Your Mind, Burn To Shine, or Diamonds on the Inside.  However, one thing is certain: Harper is one of the most stylistically diverse artists to come around in a long time.  He has released music classifiable in rock, funk, blues, acoustic, reggae, and African genres.  And even though this latest installment fails to register amongst his classics, for his diversity alone he deserves to be recognized.

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