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Two years after the delightful Call It What It Is, Ben Harper abandons his Innocent Criminals once again to team up with his old accomplice Charlie Musselwhite, who recently celebrated his 74th birthday. A veteran of Chicago blues and an harmonica virtuoso, Musselwhite has played with the greatest of the greatest, from Muddy Waters to Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf and the Blind Boys of Alabama. He’s authored over thirty albums since 1966 and the legendary Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band. It’s on his album Sanctuary, recorded in 2004 for Peter Gabriel’s label Real World, that he collaborated with Ben Harper for the first time, even if John Lee Hooker himself had orchestrated their first meeting a few years earlier. No Mercy in This Land is the second album to boast both their names, a follow-up to the successful Get Up! in 2013, for which they won a Grammy. For Harper, this is the sixteenth album, all bands and projects combined. So it would have seemed logical to make this venture a Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper album – as a mark of respect for the elders −, especially since the latter appears to be slightly uncomfortable with this encounter at the very top of blues music. But it also makes sense to leverage the popularity of the musician who has initiated so many young ears to the devil’s music. Much like in the previous opus, the point here isn’t to foray into avant-garde or reinvent blues altogether, but rather to celebrate a deep and sincere friendship with a fresh and invigorating approach to their favourite genre. Sometimes swinging (Found the One), sometimes more intimate, almost contemplative (Bad Habits, Love and Trust…), this album works in a style that doesn’t instil a sense of melancholy – with the notable exception of No Mercy in This Land (the track), When Love Is Not Enough and the intense Nothing at All. The pleasure they take playing together is once again so obvious that no one will bemoan the fact that Ben Harper hasn’t thrown together one or two songs more likely to be played on the radio, like he used to do in his younger years. © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz
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Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer, Writer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer, Writer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer, Writer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer, Writer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer, Writer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer, Writer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer, Writer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Ben Harper, Producer, Writer, MainArtist - Charlie Musselwhite, MainArtist - Jimmy Paxson, Producer - Ethan Allen, Producer, Mixer - Jason Mozersky, Producer - Jesse Ingalls, Producer - Sheldon Gomberg, Producer - Ben Harper Publishing (ASCAP), MusicPublisher
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
Album review
Two years after the delightful Call It What It Is, Ben Harper abandons his Innocent Criminals once again to team up with his old accomplice Charlie Musselwhite, who recently celebrated his 74th birthday. A veteran of Chicago blues and an harmonica virtuoso, Musselwhite has played with the greatest of the greatest, from Muddy Waters to Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf and the Blind Boys of Alabama. He’s authored over thirty albums since 1966 and the legendary Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band. It’s on his album Sanctuary, recorded in 2004 for Peter Gabriel’s label Real World, that he collaborated with Ben Harper for the first time, even if John Lee Hooker himself had orchestrated their first meeting a few years earlier. No Mercy in This Land is the second album to boast both their names, a follow-up to the successful Get Up! in 2013, for which they won a Grammy. For Harper, this is the sixteenth album, all bands and projects combined. So it would have seemed logical to make this venture a Charlie Musselwhite and Ben Harper album – as a mark of respect for the elders −, especially since the latter appears to be slightly uncomfortable with this encounter at the very top of blues music. But it also makes sense to leverage the popularity of the musician who has initiated so many young ears to the devil’s music. Much like in the previous opus, the point here isn’t to foray into avant-garde or reinvent blues altogether, but rather to celebrate a deep and sincere friendship with a fresh and invigorating approach to their favourite genre. Sometimes swinging (Found the One), sometimes more intimate, almost contemplative (Bad Habits, Love and Trust…), this album works in a style that doesn’t instil a sense of melancholy – with the notable exception of No Mercy in This Land (the track), When Love Is Not Enough and the intense Nothing at All. The pleasure they take playing together is once again so obvious that no one will bemoan the fact that Ben Harper hasn’t thrown together one or two songs more likely to be played on the radio, like he used to do in his younger years. © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:45:38
- Main artists: Ben Harper Charlie Musselwhite
- Label: Anti - Epitaph
- Genre: Blues/Country/Folk Blues
2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti 2018 Ben Harper, under exclusive license to Anti
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