American singer-songwriter Ben Harper has been releasing music since the early 90s and he’s well-known for being one of the most eclectic artists in the industry. Over the course of 16 studio albums, released between 1994 and 2022, he’s fused his love of folk, blues, reggae, rock and soul to create his own unique sound. Following on from 2022’s ‘Bloodline Maintenance’, Harper is back with his new album ‘Wide Open Light’.
Which iteration of Harper do we find on ‘Wide Open Light’? It’s the singer-songwriter troubadour, armed with an acoustic guitar and gentle melodies. The tone is set with the instrumental opening track ‘Heart and Crown’ and the tempo remains distinctly low-key for the majority of the record. On ‘Giving Ghosts’, Harper inflects a little Americana twang and it comes as a slight surprise at the end of the song when the audience cheers and claps to discover it was recorded live.
‘8 Minutes’ is one of the more uptempo moments on the record with Harper in a reflective mood. Sonically you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a long-lost Cat Stevens record from the 70s. Jack Johnson joins Harper on ‘Yard Sale’, which sits at the centre of the record. It’s one of the highlights as the two laidback artists complement one another, harmonising on clever lyrics.
Elsewhere on the record ‘Trying Not To Fall In Love With You’ brings unexpected drama to its piano-led instrumentation, sounding unlike anything else on the record, while title track ‘Wide Open Light’ is a Simon & Garfunkel like acoustic riff-driven ditty. On ‘Growing Growing Gone’, Harper is in husky voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar melody as the singer-songwriter proves that often less truly is more.
The album closes as it opens, with an instrumental. ‘Thank You Pat Bryer’ is nearly four minutes of gentle acoustic-led melodies with an almost ethereal instrumentation. It encapsulates, and brings closure, to an album that is heavy on mood and reflection.
Ben Harper is an artist who operates in his own lane. He’s never been one to pander to what anyone else is doing and he’s never chased a hit. That’s ensured that his fanbase has stuck by him, connecting with his authenticity and his ability to move from genre to genre as he fancies. ‘Wide Open Light’ is an album that you need to sit with for a while and let it breathe, so you can appreciate the surprising layers that it contains among its seemingly simple arrangements.
Track list: 1. Heart and Crown 2. Giving Ghosts 3. Masterpiece 4. 8 Minutes 5. Yard Sale (feat. Jack Johnson) 6. Trying Not To Fall in Love With You 7. Wide Open Light 8. One More Change 9. Growing Growing Gone 10. Love After Love 11. Thank You Pat Brayer Record label: Chrysalis Records Release date: 2nd June 2023 Buy ‘Wide Open Light’ now
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