Too smooth, too calculated

Posted: Sunday, June 17, 2007 1:57 AM by John Roderick

Ben Harper
I remember when Ben Harper’s first record came out thinking that this was a talented guy who was on to something different. He was playing rootsy slide guitar music, but taking it somewhere different, somewhere pop and cool.

I listened to that record a lot, but as the years wore on I was disappointed by his subsequent releases, which tended to feature the rootsy blues mixed with cheesy soul. Eventually he became a staple of the college jam circuit, just playing it safe and by the numbers, despite the fact that he was a guitarist who could do just about anything he chose.

Associated Press

The comparison to Lenny Kravitz was inescapable, because Lenny also had a great first record and devolved over the years into a walking Abercrombie and Fitch ad. Oh well.

Today’s show was a big production, and true to form the best part about it was Ben Harper’s slide guitar. The band was silky and tight, the message was positive, the vibe was uplifting and Irie, but it was too careful and too smooth.

This was hammered home when they called out Ziggy Marley for a straightforward rendition of "Get Up Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Of course they would, of course it was good, of course everyone loved it, but it took no one by surprise.