[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Give Till It's Gone by Ben Harper"]
[/caption]
I've been listening to this album for a few weeks, and I have been wanting to write about this for awhile. I've held off...up until now. As the last album of Ben Harper's ten-album recording contract with Virgin Records, Harper decided to make it a "solo" album, although he is still playing with Relentless7, the name of his new band - not that The Innocent Criminals are finished...just on a hiatus, I suppose?
Give Till It's Gone is an emotionally charged and incredibly focused album to finish off such a long contract. From start to finish, this is the kind of album that will definitely make you feel something. And probably feel many things. Starting with the first track, "Don't Give Up On Me Now", the album has a very poignant sound. It's almost a mix of hope and poison. What I love about this album is the honesty in each track. Harper recently went through a divorce with his wife (and Jurassic Park actress), Laura Dern, and as a result, many of the tracks on this album reflect some of those emotions. Its challenging in a way, because the focused intensity that Harper sings and plays with also make me feel this stinging remorse or pain - for him! "Don't Give Up On Me Now" is the most hopefully resigned song I've heard. And then it moves onto "I Will Not Be Broken" which is has a quiet, haunting sound that sounds a bit like the calm before the storm...or maybe the calm after the storm, when you survey the destruction and figure out exactly how to approach the cleanup. Interesting.
I've seen Ben Harper live several times, and I love his music, so yes, I am biased, but I will say, I didn't love his first album with Relentless7, White Lies For Dark Times. And I really love this album. It has the perfect balance between the raw and emotional tracks, and tracks like "Rock N' Roll Is Free" - more upbeat, and energizing. They allow you to recover a little bit before diving back into the really gut-wrenching stuff. Oh, and I guess I should also mention that Ringo Starr plays drums on two tracks on the album, "Spilling Faith" and "Get There From Here". And you immediately notice the difference. Its pretty amazing how big a difference it makes, but I can immediately hear a little more of a psychadelic sound at the start of "Spilling Faith". I dig it.
So if you are a Harper fan, definitely check this album out. If you aren't a Harper fan, check it out anyway. Favourite tracks are "Don't Give Up On Me Now", "I Will Not Be Broken", "Spilling Faith", and "Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn".
Track Listing
[/caption]
I've been listening to this album for a few weeks, and I have been wanting to write about this for awhile. I've held off...up until now. As the last album of Ben Harper's ten-album recording contract with Virgin Records, Harper decided to make it a "solo" album, although he is still playing with Relentless7, the name of his new band - not that The Innocent Criminals are finished...just on a hiatus, I suppose?
Give Till It's Gone is an emotionally charged and incredibly focused album to finish off such a long contract. From start to finish, this is the kind of album that will definitely make you feel something. And probably feel many things. Starting with the first track, "Don't Give Up On Me Now", the album has a very poignant sound. It's almost a mix of hope and poison. What I love about this album is the honesty in each track. Harper recently went through a divorce with his wife (and Jurassic Park actress), Laura Dern, and as a result, many of the tracks on this album reflect some of those emotions. Its challenging in a way, because the focused intensity that Harper sings and plays with also make me feel this stinging remorse or pain - for him! "Don't Give Up On Me Now" is the most hopefully resigned song I've heard. And then it moves onto "I Will Not Be Broken" which is has a quiet, haunting sound that sounds a bit like the calm before the storm...or maybe the calm after the storm, when you survey the destruction and figure out exactly how to approach the cleanup. Interesting.
I've seen Ben Harper live several times, and I love his music, so yes, I am biased, but I will say, I didn't love his first album with Relentless7, White Lies For Dark Times. And I really love this album. It has the perfect balance between the raw and emotional tracks, and tracks like "Rock N' Roll Is Free" - more upbeat, and energizing. They allow you to recover a little bit before diving back into the really gut-wrenching stuff. Oh, and I guess I should also mention that Ringo Starr plays drums on two tracks on the album, "Spilling Faith" and "Get There From Here". And you immediately notice the difference. Its pretty amazing how big a difference it makes, but I can immediately hear a little more of a psychadelic sound at the start of "Spilling Faith". I dig it.
So if you are a Harper fan, definitely check this album out. If you aren't a Harper fan, check it out anyway. Favourite tracks are "Don't Give Up On Me Now", "I Will Not Be Broken", "Spilling Faith", and "Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn".
Track Listing
- Don't Give Up On Me Now
- I Will Not Be Broken
- Rock N' Roll Is Free
- Feel Love
- Clearly Severely
- Spilling Faith
- Get There From here
- Pray That Our Love Sees The Dawn
- Waiting On A Sign
- Dirty Little Lover
- Do It For You, Do It For Us
Comments (0)
Back to RS150