Ben Harper

Editor's Review:

To judge an artist by his influences or the similarity of his sound to that of others is, quite frankly, unfair, and as a reviewing tactic, a bit shallow. But sometimes it is impossible to say exactly what kind of music is on a CD without referring to the old masters, or at least the tenets of music they set in concrete. Ben Harper and his current band, The Innocent Criminals, have created a CD full of music steeped in the ideals of what made rock music great: big sounds, smart hooks and tried and true formulas of song construction that, when used properly, can create all kinds of wonderful room to move.

Burn To Shine employs a full and colorful, wide-ranging spectrum of sounds, from the perfectly placed, assertive acoustic guitar strums of "Two Hands Of A Prayer" to the barely audible but seemingly desperately needed, high-pitched bell and weeping guitar that pepper the chorus on "The Woman in You." The music here runs the classic gambit, from Sabbath to The Beatles, but each number definitely has its own Harper flavor.

Still, operating within a set of guidelines—drawing heavily from influences and relying on the good old rock structure—can be somewhat confining, and some of the music on Burn to Shine suffers from predictability. A few of the tracks, like "Steal My Kisses," are even downright unlistenable—sugar pop-y numbers that chip away at the nerves until the finger reaches for the track forward button.

– Quentin Price


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Record Label Virgin Released April 2001

Tracks 1. Alone 2. The Woman In You 3. Less 4. Two Hands Of A Prayer 5. Please Bleed 6. Suzie Blue 7. Steal My Kisses 8. Burn To Shine 9. Show Me A Little Shame 10. Forgiven 11. Beloved One 12. In The Lord's Arms