ALBUM REVIEW: Burn to Shine by Ben Harper
By JOE LARSON
Scene Music Critic
Do you ever look through your CD collection and find absolutely nothing you want to hear? You know you like your CDs, but you just can't decide on which one to listen to. It seems like Ben Harper may have been having one of those days for the half-year it took him to record his new album, Burn To Shine. On one song Ben will be crooning along with acoustic guitar and string arrangements, on the next he'll be straining to be heard over heavy electric guitars.
And though his method may be unpredictable, Harper weaves together an incredibly eclectic, tight album, which resembles its themes. It takes angst-ridden shots at old lovers and then quietly relents over its hasty accusations from the song before.
Burn To Shine is Harper's fourth studio album. His previous albums contain much of the same elusiveness that his new offering displays, but they don't congeal as well. He gained attention for his acoustic laments about lost love and the harshness of the world on his first three albums, but they were made up of only a few acoustic gems scattered among electric rockers. Though those albums are good, they lack the overall direction that Burn To Shine possesses. Each song, though different from the previous, follows up perfectly, taking the listener on a wild ride through the guitar.
Harper's soulful singing evokes images of Bob Marley and Cat Stevens, while his unique guitar-playing mixes the psychedelia of Hendrix with the power and riffs of Jimmy Page. Teamed with his backing band, The Innocent Criminals, who bring a thundering bass and percussion accompaniment, Harper's songs are completely unique, even when dipping into widely used genres of music.
This album also contains some stirring string accompaniment and a fun '20s-era big band number called "Suzie Blue." The title track is a bluesy rocker that almost sounds like early Black Crowes.
"Forgiven" begins with a quiet acoustic riff that turns into a blistering, distorted rocker. "Alone" is a sad, acoustic song that predicts the topic of loneliness for the entire upcoming album. "Steal My Kisses" is a funky song dominated by a bass groove that resembles Digital Underground's in the legendary "Humpty Dance."
Ben Harper is a talented singer/songwriter who isn't afraid to do some different things with music. He is influenced by virtually every type of music and mixes it all together to create incredibly unique and interesting songs.
If there were more artists as creative as Harper, instead of boring groups like the Backstreet Boys and the Dave Matthews Band, maybe it wouldn't take so long to find something to listen to while looking through your CD collection.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, November 2, 1999
