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Many roots
Ben Harper moves from reggae to gospel to Zulu jive
BY TED DROZDOWSKI

Ben Harper has spent much of the last 10 years chipping away at the stoned fans among the jam-band crowd — perhaps the last American audience that’s still receptive to the natural overlapping of styles like rock, reggae, blues, and jazz. For Harper, it’s been " an organic experience. " For major label Virgin Records, it’s been confusing. His defiance of category and insistence on defining his virtuosity with lap-steel guitar has made him tough to package as anything but a complete artist. And a quick look at the pop charts indicates that bright-eyed artistry isn’t doing the big numbers.

Nonetheless, the 33-year-old Southern California singer and songwriter has parlayed his far-flung creative instincts into a half-dozen albums, including the just-released Diamonds on the Inside (Virgin). The new disc continues to paint him as a pop visionary who defies easy tags and cynicism. Its 14 songs embrace many styles of American roots music — and their roots. Reggae, gospel, Zulu jive, Delta blues, folk, country rock, traditional African rhythms, and metal-edged blasts rub elbows. This time they’re infused not only with Harper’s hyper-melodic sensibility and his guitar flash but with the best songwriting and most direct spiritual messages he’s produced.

" With My Own Two Hands " begins the CD by expressing his sincere belief that an individual’s actions can change the world. " Yes, " he confirms over the phone, " that’s very important — people motivating people, ideas motivating ideas. " It’s a notion he shares with one of his musical heroes, Bob Marley, whose sound — a rich, skanking six-string rhythm supported by clavinet, Hammond B-3 organ, bass, drums, and a keening vocal performance — is the template for that song. " I love all Bob Marley. The early-’70s reggae that is rebel music is in my blood. It’s black rock. "

Elsewhere, Harper displays his obvious affection for Jimi Hendrix (the walls of hard, rippling sound on " Temporary Remedy " ) and Led Zeppelin (the riff-rocker " So High So Low " ). Dylan and the Band echo through the beautiful title track, which, reflecting " I Shall Be Released " in its verses, features Harper’s mastery of the esoteric Weissenborn acoustic lap slide guitar — the instrument on which he first made his mark. His exploration of acoustic-guitar arrangements also leads him down the path of traditional Delta blues to " When It’s Good " and to a strain of ’70s folk in " Amen Omen " and " She’s Only Happy in the Sun " that emulates the ringing, spiritually focused tunes of Cat Stevens.

That’s all part of Harper’s strategy of looking back to get where he’s going. " The best-sounding records and a lot of my favorite musical moments come from the ’70s. Cat Stevens meets Faces, Sly Stone meets Neil Young and Dylan . . . that’s the taste and sound you want to get. " So he keeps his guitar tones thick, with plenty of glorious midrange, and sings with a fervor rooted in gospel, blues, and soul, often sending his sweet, slightly sandy voice soaring into its upper register.

It’s not surprising that Diamonds on the Inside features two stone-gospel numbers, " Blessed To Be a Witness " and " Picture of Jesus, " though the latter is performed in pure Zulu-style harmony, with Harper supported by Ladysmith Black Mambazo. After all, Harper has contributed songs and his playing to the two most recent Blind Boys of Alabama CDs, and his lyrics often make connections between Christianity and Buddhism, expressing a belief that our actions affect and link the corporal and spiritual worlds. " I’ve never had the time to study religions because I’ve always been extremely busy working and earning and striving toward my musical goals and destiny. But along the way I’ve had a chance to read texts — the Bible, the Koran, the Tao Te Ching and so on. I believe all religious practice is a way of walking and not talking. And I feel it can be celebrated through song. "

Along with his gift for melodies — which spring from each number three or four strong, as countermelodies beneath melodic hooks, in solos that shoot off into new, tuneful directions — Harper’s stylistic leaps make Diamonds on the Inside a joyful, sometimes breathless ride. It’s as if music were bursting from him. " My mind knows no silence. I hear guitars when they’re just sitting in a corner saying, ‘This is what you and I have. Let’s dance.’  "

After leadership changes at Virgin, it seems that his record company may be stepping to the same tune. " I think just now they get it. ‘Oh, this is what he was trying to do and why he wanted to open up for the Fugees as well as J.J. Cale.’ But as long as I don’t change my music for their terms and the terms change for the music, I’m fine with all of it. The utter defiance of categorization is crucial to my music’s longevity. "

Tickets are now on sale for Ben Harper’s two-night stand at the FleetBoston Pavilion on June 19 and 20; call (617) 423-NEXT.

Issue Date: April 17 - 24, 2003
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