Ben Harper finally had enough. Heartbroken at the blood on the streets and hands of those supposed to protect and serve, Harper decided that someone needs to call it what it is…and that he’s just the man for the job. Returning to the studio with his band The Innocent Criminals for their first real studio collaboration in nine years, Harper has delivered a strong statement on the state of the world and his hopes for its future. On their new release, Call It What It Is, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals channel the sorrowful cries of those lost into a cry for compassion and justice that lingers in the heart, long after the last song has ended.
Harper has embraced the role of activist and protest singer to a far greater degree than at any point in his past. In recent interviews he’s said that some of the more fiery material on the new offering were songs he didn’t want to write, he doesn’t want to sing or even play again. Harper sees the importance of joining the growing chorus calling accountability and equality that is spreading from college campuses to the stages of the presidential election. Penning songs both anguished, angry and yet still hopeful, Harper bring much needed nuance to the battle for the soul of humanity.
Taking a different approach to recording Call It What It Is, the reunited Innocent Criminals and their leader used a stop and start approach to the sessions, which took place over a year. Recording in short bursts, the band would then step back from the sessions for months at a time to give themselves distance and fresh perspective on their work in progress. As Harper put it in a production video, “Often times what you’re doing and what you think you’re doing aren’t necessarily the same thing. Though elements of their sound are still the same, the level of skill and maturity gives them the gravitas needed to confront the subject matter they’ve chosen.
Follow along with our track-by-track review below.
1. When Sex Was Dirty
After nine long years apart, the first song on their return disc opens with a bombastic blast of rock and roll so old school that there’s even a cowbell. That aggressive burst of energy is a good fit for the band, and any worries about rust from the hiatus are quickly washed away by waves of distorted guitars and crashing cymbals. Lyrically, Harper examines the mistake of longing for the good old days when things were simpler. Sadly, for much of America, as Harper deftly points out, the good old days weren’t really all that good for much of the population.
2. Deeper And Deeper
The most tread territory in all of songwriting is the love song, and the challenge of finding a new way to express any facet of that emotion is a true challenge. Here Harper and company put into words the sinking, strengthening sense of love overwhelming a soul over time. The simple acoustic guitar and piano lines are well complimented by Juan Nelson‘s well rounded and pervasive bass work. Somewhere in the middle of that sound, Harper’s voice holds a monotone through the first verses and refrains until an expansive wave comes upon him. He rides that wave of emotion, protesting the very depths of his love.
3. Call It What It Is
“They shot him, in the back. Now it’s a crime to be black.” The opening words of the title track draw instant, involuntary memories of shaky cell phone videos, endless cable news coverage and sorrow to the minds of listeners. “Don’t act surprised when it gets vandalized” he follows, neither condoning or condemning the surge of riotous behavior that often follows these far too frequent egregious abuses of power. For every time the police cry self-defense, Harper implores that we “Call it what it is…murder.” Name-checking Treyvon Martin, Ezell Ford and Michael Brown as part of the sad procession of the wrongfully executed, Harper plays with fire with the sure-handedness of one who’s walked through flames many times before. The blues guitar work of Harper’s slide and the boominess of the mix adds an element of emptiness that gives the recording a plaintive vibe that suits it well. Acknowledging the difficulty of negotiating the many different issues at play and the rawness of the emotion, Harper continues to call back to the central truth of our shared situation. We are all in this together, and the only way we can face each other and begin our journey towards true equality is to seek and speak the truth.
4. How Dark Is Gone
Percussionist Leon Mobley has lost none of his exuberance or dexterity over the last nine years apart, and his speedy staccato rhythms open “How Dark Is Gone” with a positive energy that serves as a musical palette cleanser after the dirge like aspects of the previous track. Over a casually strummed acoustic guitar Harper questions the listeners appreciation of the many aspects of modern life, forcing attention towards the many parts of life we willfully ignore. The wisdom to use an upbeat driving tempo to bring the blood to boil while relaying an introspective message is a clear sign of the band’s growth. The icing on the cake is the soaring entrance on the Hammond B3 by Jason Yates and its interplay with the furious soloing of Mobley.
5. Shine
A much-needed upbeat number that be-bops along with a nigh irresistible bounce, “Shine” delivers the most familiar feeling Innocent Criminals’ composition thus far. You can practically see the smiles on the faces of the players to each other in the studio while these tracks were being laid down. With a busy schedule of summer shows and festivals, this is sure to be a crowd favorite for the next few months and the years to follow.
6. All That Has Grown
Though his fretwork haunts most of the album, Harper’s guitar prowess finds itself more a part of the band’s whole than before in this newer material. By no means a degradation of his skills, it’s a mark of his maturity as a player and bandmate. Taking “All That Has Grown” as a solo number, Harper shows a hypnotic aspect to his slide playing, with each drawn out note lulling you ever deeper under his spell. The song does illustrate the power that Harper can create alone, but also serves as a reminder of how much more he can be with his friends.
7. Pink Balloon
The importance of a well-conceived track order for an album can become lost in our modern piecemeal consumption culture, but it’s obviously an area the Innocent Criminals give due diligence. Snappy drums and doubled vocals have toes tapping and ears perked from the first notes. The notable work from guitarist Michael Ward rocks happily over the already set stage and exits before growing stale. The brevity of this song in particular is both a nod to modern attention spans and a surety of purpose. Though the lyrics are a bit on the lighter side, compared to the rest of the material presented here, the song says what it wants and moves on without doing any more than draw an appreciative smile.
8. Finding A Way
The music of the islands comes in like a warm Jamaican breeze. The reggae beat is no stranger to backing words of frustration and protest, as Ben Harper and co do so ably here. Decrying the separation of social caste and the power that the wealthy wield, Harper calls into question the very idea that those who set themselves above others can truly ever be brothers. When profits replace compassion, those who seek riches lose the most important treasure of all: their humanity. His solution is to defy the societal norms and to embrace a caring and sharing philosophy to lift us all instead of some.
9. Bones
The mark of a genuine creative force is that the product of their art is wholly unique to them. “Bones” is a perfect example of the Innocent Criminals distilling themselves into audio format. All the hallmarks of their most beloved material makes an appearance, from the sparseness of the arrangement, the repetition of key phrases with an emphasis on inflection, Mobley’s winding percussion to the whip smart precision of the rhythm section. It might not draw the attention some of the other tunes here, but it’s a wonderful example of a band making music from their common core.
10. Dance Like Fire
The ease in which a single moment of tragedy can derail a lifetime built by hope and hard work is a heavy theme for a song, but Harper is not yet ready to release the pulpit. He preaches to the rich and poor alike, exhorting those who claim to lead to be true to their causes. With the leadership he calls for, it’s his hope that we will all learn to be affected by life’s valleys but not deterred from carrying on into the light.
11. Goodbye To You
A somber bass line opens the final piece, ominously titled “Goodbye To You.” An air of uncertainty and melancholy is aided by an restrained echo applied to Harper’s voice as he searches for the proper way to say goodbye to a fallen friend. Lost in a terrible dream, Harper sings of visiting shared childhood haunts and the aching sense of loss he feels along that journey. The pain he’s expressing is something we will all know at one time, and the hurt and confusion in his voice and words resonate on a base human level. It’s a profound way to end
Much has been made of the amount of social commentary and cries for justice that make up much of Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals’ new release Call It What It Is. The true power of a protest song is its ability to merge the passion for a righteous cause with a melody that reaches the listener on a deeper level. No stranger to causes both political and social, Ben Harper has admonished those who sit in seats of power and judgment in the past, but never with the ferocity of this new record. Harper’s ability to connect with his audience so effortlessly through his soulful voice and expressive guitar work makes him the right man at the right place at the right time. A song alone can’t change the world, but the hearts it inspires can.
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals new release Call It What It Is is available for purchase in a variety of formats here.
Watch a special in the studio session with Ben Harper, as he plays songs and discusses the new album below:
Information for this article was gathered from Ben Harper’s website, Entertainment Weekly and Wikipedia. The video above was produced and released by KEXP Studios in Seattle.