May 14 Ben Harper

This is the new album from Ben Harper. He usually records with his band the Innocent Criminals but he has a new band with him on this release, the Relentless 7. It doesn't matter who else plays with him, Ben is an incredible artist who deserves your attention. He can go from an amazing blues riff on slide guitar to gospel to funk to amazingly soulful ballads on any of his albums and does every genre perfectly. He has an emotion in his voice that is unmatched in rock 'n' roll today. It doesn't matter if he is pleading with a lover at the end of the relationship (Please Me Like You Want To) or railing against an injustice (Excuse Me Mister) the raw power in his voice and lyrics just pulls me in. He also has songs about standing up for yourself and your beliefs (Fight Outta You) and (Burn One Down). And just in case you think he is serious all the time check out Steal My Kisses or Mama's Got A Girlfriend Now. I first heard of Ben Harper as the opening act at a PJ Harvey concert about 15 years ago. I was so blown away by his performance that I completely forgot about PJ Harvey that night. I finally saw him again last year at the Chicago Theater. Once again I was transformed by the performance. It was the most radically diverse audience I've ever seen. Everyone was singing, dancing or just following the incredible groove of the show. After the concert, Ben came back on stage and thanked his fans for allowing him to play such a wide variety of music. Then he stood on the edge of the stage without a microphone and sang an a capella version of Steal My Kisses, if I remember correctly. One last video, Ben covering "Under Pressure".