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Live review: Ben Harper & Relentless7
Ricardo B. Brazziell AMERICAN-STATESMAN
I’ll be the first to admit, I was never a knocked-in-the-head Ben Harper fan. His musical compass never seemed to settle in any one direction for any length of time, and his tastes were eclectic almost to the point of randomness, it seemed. That perception might speak more to my musical limitations than any lack of focus on his part, but still, that was Your Humble Correspondent’s take on the guy.
But I found myself drawn powerfully to his newest effort, “White Lies For Dark Times,” in which he replaced (temporarily at least) his longtime backing band, the Innocent Criminals, with a trio of Austin blues-rockers, whom he dubbed Relentless7 — Jason Mozersky (guitar), Jesse Ingalls (bass) and Jordan Richardson (drums). His new recorded songs with the group had a cohesion and structure that some of his earlier stuff seemed to lack.
Onstage, the foursome displayed a raw, blood-and-thunder punch that was almost a physical assault, at least for those of us in close proximity to the stage. Sinus-clearing bass, waspish barbed-wire guitars and relentless percussion permitted almost no time for reflection or opportunity for reprieve. Relentless, indeed.
Harper confined himself almost entirely to sitting with a lap steel guitar at center stage, but on the occasions when he strapped on a conventional electric guitar, he seemed almost like a kid let out of school. “I’m the only Californian in the band,” he exclaimed, “and it’s a true honor to be onstage with these guys kicking my (expletive) every night.”
Still, he seemed almost like a homeboy himself, delivering shout-outs to Waterloo Records and Lance Armstrong.
But mostly, he let the music do the talking, with most of the set derived from the latest album, including “Boots Like These,” “Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart),” “Shimmer and Shine,” “Number With No Name” and “Up To You Now.” At least one new song, the hook-centric “Rock and Roll Is Free (If You Want It)” was trotted out to the crowd’s delight.
It’s anybody’s guess if this musical incarnation marks a permanent detour for Harper (chances seem slim), but for the time being, he has re-booted his musical persona with a powerful dose of Texas rock and blues, and listeners seem as taken with the new sound as he does.
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