2009 Live From The Montreal

Ben Harper never disappoints and this Live release with his new group Relentless 7 delivers in a BIG way. I'm a long time Harper fan and Last years album "White Lies for Dark Times" with the new group was overall my favorite release last year. The studio version is still in regular rotation on my playlists and in my car and now I now the live disc will probably take its place for the next year. Aside from the EP Live at the Hollywood, this is the only full album live release Harper's done since "Live From Mars" back in about 2001. While that showed Harper's more eclectic and acoustic sides, this is a great time capsule of his current full embrace of his inner rock God. This takes almost every track off of the Relentless 7 album and turns them up to 11!! This sound is great and gives each song even more of a rough rockin edge with some extended jams and solos throughout the band that only round out the songs even more. Even if you don't have the studio version I'd even recommend just cutting straight to the live versions...they're that good! However, the best reason to buy this album is for the first track (previously unreleased). I had heard rough live versions of the songs before the studio album was released and was soooo disappointed it didn't make it on the studio album. It's a great rocker and one of my top 2 or 3 of their songs they've done together so far. Also, as even more of a bonus you get the Hendrix cover "Red House" which does Jimi VERY proud on the Asher lap slide. You also get the Relentless 7 versions of "Another Lonely Day" and "Serve Your Soul" which ends it perfectly since it was the song that brought him together with Relentless 7 back in the "Both Sides of the Gun" days. And if that's not enough you get even more songs with the full DVD in 5.1. Definitely a relentlessly rocking experience from beginning to end...a MUST for any fan of rock!!

When is Ben Harper going to get the recognition he so richly deserves? Every new Ben Harper release is a cause for celebration. He is such a unique and talented musician, combining elements of rock, folk, soul and blues to create a multicultural sound that appeals across national, racial and generational divides. If you don't believe me, attend one of his concerts!

Last year, 2009, Harper released his most rocking studio release, the excellent White Lies For Dark Times, a collaboration with his latest backing band, Relentless 7 (Jason Mozersky: guitar; Jesse Ingalls: bass; and Jordan Richardson: drums), excellent musicians all, with whom Harper had previously collaborated on one track (two tracks with Mozersky) on Harper's outstanding 2006 release Both Sides of the Gun. Unlike some of Harper's more mellow offerings, the musical emphasis for the bulk of White Lies, and even more so for this release, is hard driving rock with the sort of insightful lyrics that Harper has always delivered.

This CD/DVD combo, as the title informs, documents the band's July 12, 2009 performance at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. The band here performs virtually the entire White Lies album. The few White Lies songs omitted from this CD were the more mellow ones: "The Word Suicide" was not performed, and the terrific "Skin Deep" and "Fly One Time" are only available on the DVD. In addition to the bulk of White Lies, the band performs their collaboration from Both Sides, "Serve Your Soul," an outtake from White Lies, "Faster Slower Disappear Come Around," from Harper's classic second album Fight For Your Mind, "Another Lonely Day" (a ballad featuring a stinging guitar solo by Mozersky), and a couple of stellar covers, Jimi Hendrix's classic "Red House" (with a ripping slide guitar solo by Harper) and the Bowie/Queen penned "Under Pressure."

The live setting permits the band to turn up the amps, rock out, and stretch out and jam, with Harper playing a great deal of riveting lap-slide guitar, Mozersky adding tasteful guitar leads and Ingalls and Richardson providing powerful rhythm throughout. This band cooks! The performances are for the most part very, very strong. The sound on the CD is decent enough for a concert recording, and the DVD offers 5.1 surround sound in addition to stereo sound. The cinematography on the DVD is unusually good for a concert DVD.

This is simply another terrific Ben Harper release. Highly recommended.

If you don't like this, you don't know anything about music. I like everything,except like 99% of rap and 98% of country. I can say, this guy has all kinds of talent. Great guitar tone, vocals and a fantastic cover song. Buy it you wont be sad at all. :)