Ben Harper, along with veteran blues harmonica ace Charlie Musselwhite, has just released a major blues album, Get Up!. Harper’s international tour, in support of his 11th studio album in 20 years, was launched with a sold-out show in Toronto on March 1.
Get Up! shines some new light on the blues, and that light is no doubt brightened by Gary Clark Jr.’s highly regarded album, Blak & Blu. These two albums, by blues crossover artists, control the top positions on the Billboard Blues chart, over some more familiar names. Get Up! also sits at number 142 on the Billboard 200 chart, having peaked at number 27.
(Courtesy of Stax)
In an interview in MOJO magazine some time ago, Harper said he wasn’t ready to do a blues album — he felt that he had yet to earn that right. At that point, he had only written one blues song in a career that showed a wide-ranging knowledge of musical styles. That song was the Weissenborn-driven “Homeless Child” on the 1997 album The Will to Live.
The musical friendship between Harper and Musselwhite appears to be quite natural. Musselwhite’s albums were around the house when Harper was growing up. Harper would meet his hero at a festival, and the two eventually took part in a session for John Lee Hooker’s 1998 disc, Best of Friends. Their kinship grew, as they would subsequently record “Homeless Child” together for Musselwhite’s Sanctuary album in 2004. And they would record again together two years later, on Harper’s release Both Sides of the Gun.
Musselwhite’s place in the blues pantheon is assured; he’s one of the best traditional blues players, yet is willing to experiment with Cuban and Brazilian musicians on his own albums. And don’t forget his enormously influential “Christo Redemptor,” Musselwhite’s signature tune from his 1969 release Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band. With the combined talents of Harper and Musselwhite, it is no surprise that the songs on this album amaze.
Compositions on Get Up! range from songs with just Musselwhite and Harper, to Harper’s full band, recorded live off the floor, with the occasional Weissenborn overdub. The songs here are all fresh and memorable, with hints of Harper’s older material. The slow blues, “All That Matters Now,” which grew out of some studio jamming between Musselwhite and pianist Jesse Ingalls, manages to feel old and new at the same time. The roaring band track, “I Don’t Believe A Word You Say,” stands out for its anger; it may be about Harper’s personal relationship, though it could also resonate as a diatribe against U.S. politicians (the album was written and recorded during an election season). The best songs always seem to work on several levels.
Available as a single disc, or on vinyl for the audiophiles in the crowd, the deluxe version of Get Up! is preferable as it includes a DVD, which details that many of the songs grew from the chemistry between the two artists. Though Harper didn’t have a lot written ahead of time, it is clear he was finally ready to do a blues album. This is a serious contribution to the genre, and not just a one-off side trip.
Harper has brought several advantages to this project, in addition to Musselwhite. Other artists would be wise to think as carefully when adding a blues album to their discography. However, pop-blues crossovers appear to be on the rise. Bonnie Raitt has been on a short list of prominent crossover artists for most of her career. John Mayer never hides his love of blues in his offerings. Richard Thompson has been nibbling around the edges for a while now, and many blues radio shows are programming Mark Knopfler’s Privateering disc. Perhaps we’re at the beginning of an encouraging trend.
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