Singer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, Ben Harper and his old band, The Innocent Criminals reunited and headed to the studio before some shows to warm up.
Nine years is a long time apart, but the chemistry is as strong as the roots- rock result, Call It What It Is, testifies. The album’s stylistic spread is wide but it’s in a soulful ensemble setting; a true group sound snapshot.
Harper and the Criminals like to keep it interesting.
The album nearly misfires at the beginning with the edgy nostalgia of When Sex Was Dirty. It’s a mid-70s hodge podge of BTO and Lenny Kravitz, with Harper sounding like he’s channeling Fred Turner.
They get sorted out quickly after that with a dusky acoustic ballad and some tasteful blues rock. The group keeps it straight ahead and when they start to groove, the songs become a playing field of musical interplay.
Call It Like It Is brings out the ensemble ESP that makes the band magic. The song is a true blues lament – murder and injustice set to a hypnotic shuffle.
The group then shifts over to the lighter spectrum on the celebratory Shine, a standout song that highlights their deep sense of roots-based forms.
Those two songs are opposite ends of the spectrum in subject matter, but not in sound.
Call It What It Is is a deceptively unassuming record. The songs are close-to-the-bone recordings about street level life and personal blues.
The charm of the album lies in its warm character. There are moments of darkness (Pink Balloon) and laments, in particular, a soulful Harper turn on the pedal steel on All That Has Grown.
The album’s sense of camaraderie is as important as the songs and together they personalize some soulful message rock.
– Dean Gordon Smith is a Vernon-based musician who reviews the latest music releases every Friday.