Ben Harper teams up with the Relentless 7 an Austin-based trio of musicians who mesh flawlessly with Harper on his newest album “White Lies for Dark Times.” 

Harper & the 7 leave listeners in a perpetual state of confusion while simontanmously having us walking away feeling more confident and self righteous than ever before.  The trio pushes me to a comfortable feeling of dissatisfaction with their edgy riffs and their powerful beats, which gives Harper a punch many of us have never seen before.  Ben Harper returns to his grass roots vocals with the tone in his voice that guides every word that comes out of his mouth to seem like the most profound thing you ever heard, while throwing a little spice into the equation with a heavy overturn which takes his words and forces them into your head, staying there till his message is realized.  Despite the fact this new style of Harper vocals may scare some of his more gentile listeners away; Harper played his cards right with this one.  Plus if Harper’s happy with it, I’m happy.  He declares his satisfaction by saying that “It’s a sound I’ve been looking for and reaching for in my mind.”  When it boils down to it all, if you like Harper, you’ll love this album.  With quintessential lyrics Harper produces oh so well and an edge from his new sidekicks of the Relentless 7, they have you listening and enjoying this one, one that Harper stated simply as “absolute, unapologetic rock music.”