Ben Harper
Fight For Your Mind

That Ben Harper is a versatile author and musician is well-known to most, just as it's equally known that this characteristic of his (perhaps more of a peculiarity than a characteristic) is often seen as a nod to the mainstream audience with the intent of selling a few hundred extra copies. Okay, since I'm not a wizard capable of reading minds nor am I a friend of Mr. Ben, I'll just appreciate his versatility without venturing into useless and wordy comments on... why it is so. In fact, "versatility" is perhaps the word that best associates with this album, which I realize I've already repeated a couple of times in just seven lines of review.

My first listen starts with "Ground On Down" (I forgot the “random” was on). First impression... "what is this, is he playing with the guitar tuned 40 tones below the normal tuning?" Second impression... "hell, it works!" In an instant, you're captivated by the slide-distorted riff of the track that conveys truly immense energy (also, the live version in “Live From Mars” is spectacular). And the entire CD listen flows more or less the same way, with a succession of “first impacts” totally different from the deeper listen. Beautiful! I love this about music. The reggae of "Burn One Down" is perhaps the freshest that's been heard in quite a few years with the intro all percussions and guitar and Ben's muffled voice winding through the notes and chords chosen with great mastery. "Excuse Me Mr” and "Oppression" unfold sweetly and harshly in their chants while the ballads are never predictable in the arrangements and lyrics (“Another Lonely Day”, “By My Side”, “One Road To Freedom”, and “Give A Man A Home”). “God Fearing Man”, in its exhausting length, is perhaps the most experimental part of the album, where Ben best displays his imaginative and talented guitar skills rather than technical, writhing between slide and distortion like a wounded snake. "Fight For Your Mind" title track would be beautiful even just for the title… but instead, it is mainly due to the bass riff (even more imposing in the live version present in the already mentioned “Live From Mars”) that accompanies the slide of the magical guitar of the man with the goatee (Ben Harper). In my opinion, the remaining three songs, “People Lead”, “Gold To Me”, and “Power Of Gospel” are a bit underwhelming, I don't know why, I don't like them, especially “Gold To Me”, I must say it even annoys me! After all, not everything can be beautiful! In any case, I'm faced with a beautiful, heart-wrenching (in a good way) album that never tires! The sweetness-harshness of Ben is the common thread of a work that, even if not exceptional, deserves to be present in the “cd-library” or better yet “vinyl-library” of every rock lover... even reggae as well... and folk... okay, also gospel... well... of everyone!