Personnel: Ben Harper (vocals, acoustic & Weissenborn guitars); Danielle Charles (violin); Brett Banduci (viola); Timothy Loo (cello); Ervin Pope (Hammond B-3 organ); Juan Nelson, Carey Christensen (bass); Oliver Charles (drums); Bob “Stiv” Coke (tamboura, sarod, tabla); Leon Lewis Mobley (percussion).
What the critics say…
Entertainment Weekly (8/11/95, p.53) – “…Harper is rootsy and raw on his upbeat material. And when he slows down for a ballad, he displays a gift for subtle rhythms and intimate, whispered vocalizing that speaks volumes.”
- Rating: B+
Q (8/95, p.123) – 3 Stars – Good – “…colours all
his…themes–love, politics and religion–with unsettling guitar tones which
range from suave discords to sheer noise. Harper's vocals being an impatient
murmur, it's often as if Nina Simone's band had been joined by Neil Young on
ARC-WELD. He's deep, powerful and original…”
Vibe (12/95–1/96, p.142) – “…treks down the highway of social
injustice, aiming to cast out the world's problems while ushering in
sensitivity and understanding…merge[s] the rage of the '60s with the
frustrations of the '90s. A hybrid blessed by tradition, Harper's sound has
nothing to do with retroactivity…”
Option (1–2/96, p.97) – “…Harper is a genuinely gifted young
singer/songwriter/guitarist with serious ambitions in folk, blues, gospel and
rock'n'roll…”