Pop Culture 101 : With Michael Peters
  • Home
  • About
  • Works
  • Pop Culture
  • Film
    • Film Analysis
    • Film Reviews
  • Music
    • Music Reviews
    • Music Analysis
  • Reading
    • Print Articles
    • Fiction
  • Contact
Pop Culture 101 : With Michael Peters
  • Home
  • About
  • Works
  • Pop Culture
  • Film
    • Film Analysis
    • Film Reviews
  • Music
    • Music Reviews
    • Music Analysis
  • Reading
    • Print Articles
    • Fiction
  • Contact
Music Reviews,

Ben Harper- Give Till It’s Gone

by mikepetersJune 12, 2012
0
Shares
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
a95a

Album: Give Till It’s Gone

Label:  Virgin

Rating: 4/5

 

Ben Harper’s Give Till It’s Gone is quite simply a quest for understanding. A self-reflective journey navigating throughout many musical genres, Harper’s tenth LP (largely a solo effort) is a melancholic exploration ripe with rhythmic bliss.

Throughout its duration, a clearly emotionally ravaged Harper passionately embraces change with soulful eloquence, heartfelt honesty and frustrated anger. More than likely an ode to the disintegration of his marriage to actress Laura Dern, the album is the work of an artist at an emotional crossroads.

Commencing slowly and melodically with the sad, weeping guitars of “Don’t Give Up on Me Now” and “I Will Not Be Broken”, the album quickly shifts gears as it propels recklessly into “Rock n’ Roll is Free”, a classic Harper concoction of blues infused alt-rock.

The album is also provided additional musical depth by the appearances of key contributors, Ringo Starr and Jackson Browne. In particular, Starr’s drumming on “Spilling Faith” and “Get There from Here” lends a post-pop Beatles psychedelic aura to both tracks.

What’s truly at the heart of the album is a remorseful and recovering Harper continuing to fight the fight. As the title indicates, he is prepared to do all he can until it is no longer possible to do so. The album is largely devoid of overt sentimentality and instead relies heavily on confrontational and questioning emotional catharsis, which is a welcome addition to the sonic scope of Harper’s work.

In a sense, the personal anguish of Harper’s life has led to his most profound work in…well, forever.

Previous

Seether- Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray

June 12, 2012
Next

Moby- Destroyed

June 12, 2012

Related posts

50aa
Music Reviews,

Magneta Lane- Witchrock

by mikepetersJanuary 14, 2013
ana
Music Reviews,

S.C.E.N.E 2011

by mikepetersJuly 6, 2012

Recent Posts

  • COCKTAILS & MISDEMEANORS
  • Hollywood: Salvation
  • Port Dalhousie Home (Sotheby’s)
  • Welcome to Neon Village
  • L.A. Noir

Categories

  • Blog
  • Fiction
  • Film
  • Film Analysis
  • Film Reviews
  • Music
  • Music Analysis
  • Music Reviews
  • Pop Culture
  • Print Articles
  • Reading
  • Slider 3
  • Uncategorized
  • Works

Archives

  • February 2023
  • September 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • November 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • September 2017
  • April 2017
  • January 2016
  • July 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • January 2014
  • August 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • November 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

© 2017 Pop Culture 101 with Michael Peters. All rights reserved.