Ben Harper

Not since Johnny Nash's 1969 album Folk Soul has acoustic-based music sounded so empowered with molten streams of heavy soul. Harper's trademark lap steel licks accompany warm Americana musings, while the funked-up reggae numbers bounce along invitingly, and the guitar-heavy songs exude a rock tone reminiscent of Neil Young's heyday.

Even as he invokes folks such as Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix, Ben Harper turns rock
cliches inside out until they mean something new again. The Black Crowes-damaged title
track of Harper's fifth studio album -- a lush sweep of twelve-string and pedal steel guitars --
is sweeter than ninety percent of the cock rock that it echoes. Often, when Harper seems
to be singing about some spangly rock chick, he's crooning about the Queen of... More >