I officially am a Ben Harper fan!

Not that I belong to any “official” fan club, but I really like what he does veeeeeery much!

The first song I heard was Excuse Me Mister (from Fight for your Mind) and I got instantly interested. Then, I went on listening to the complete cd and got seduced. The next move was the double live cd Live from Mars and ... I have become a fan!

Live from Mars still is my favorite Ben Harper record. It brilliantly illustrates two very contrasted sides of Ben Harper’s musical talent.

On the first cd, he performs with his former band The Young Innocent Criminals. The songs are full of power, sometimes very electric (e.g. Glory & Consequence), even a bit chaotic (e.g. Woman in You). There are many great moments there, like Burn one Down, Excuse Me Mister and even a very good cover of Sexual Healing.

On the second cd, Ben Harper performs solo, playing different guitars. And this is the cd that gives one the opportunity to fully enjoy the voice, the lyrics and the superb guitar playing!

If you do not know Ben Harper yet, this double cd is a must!

Now, I could not identify any weak record in Ben Harper’s production (well, I started this posted by confessing being a fan, so…). Well, there are differences in mood. Diamonds on the Inside for instance sounds like a happy album, kind of appeased; while White Lies for Dark Times (published after the last big financial crisis) comes with real protest songs and the last one – Give Till it’s gone - sounds more blue (maybe because of certain private life difficulties). Yes, the quality of the discography appears constant to me!

It is only at this point that I notice that I have not yet said that Ben Harper’s music navigates between rock, soul, folk and blues. But what’s in a tag ?

The most important in the end of the day will be how you like his production. So, I suggest you to have a look at the artist’s official homepage, where many samples and clips are to be found