"Lifeline" by Ben Harper

I have a bit of a strange relationship with Ben Harper's music. On paper, he's perfect. Great musician, smokin' band, great voice, and a bent toward social justice issues. And there are some songs where that all comes together amazingly well. Most of Burn to Shine was a real pleasure. But there's just one thing that usually keeps him from being in a lot of my playlists - his lyrics. I usually like the subject of a given song, but there's something about his turn of phrase that rubs me the wrong way. Like, he seems overly fond of turning cliches around so as to make them rather clever. It's kind of cool the first time, but after awhile, it starts to get a bit old for me.

Anyway, I want to get to this album I'm listening to at the moment. It's called Lifeline, and it was recorded live to analog tape in a Paris studio. Needless to say, that's not terribly common these days, and more than anything else, it's a real testament to the tightness of the Innocent Criminals. The ambiance of this session has a warmth that makes this feel more like a record. Not just a group of basically random songs, but a sort of old-school album feel.

Of course, there are plenty of places on this album where Harper's lyrics bug me a little. In "Fight Outta You" he says "Shoulda known better than to mistake business for love," which seems to me a bit pendantic. Of course the next line is "Shoulda known better than to mistake a fist for a glove," which is a lot more intriguing as a bit of wordplay. And that's the way it goes through every song. Some real gems, surrounded by phrases that at times border on trite.

"In the Colors" really lets the band show its stuff. They kick right off with a some great riffs, and really lock down the pocket the whole way through. "Younger than Today" is another great example of my love-hate thing with Harper. Beautiful song, really, but the lyrics bug me. And I don't think I can really explain it. It could be just me. The most memorable melody on the album is the gorgeous slide work on "Paris Sunrise #7." It feels raw, up close, and sensitive. It's maybe no surprise, now that I think about it, that the instrumental is my favorite track...

Overall, Lifeline is a really well made album. It sounds great. I like the stereo spacing on the mix, and the live analog sounds just wonderful. I'll have to give this a few more listens before I find if there's any songs that will make my regular rotation, and join the rank of beauties like "Morning Yearning" and "Happy Everafter In Your Eyes" from Both Sides of the Gun, or "Steal Your Kisses" from Burn to Shine.