Their first album together was very good. They just released their new one No Mercy in this Land and it is rather lovely.
A lot of driving blues and some stupendous Harmonica playing from Musselwhite but I am rather taken by this ballad which is the closing track on the album:-
Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite
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Big fan of Musselwhite: he has had an interesting life to say the least, a native american mucking with the blues greats in late 50s Chicago before career(s) of his own, this indian (SWIDT) summer* with Harper perhaps his 3rd or 4th.
*I have been dying to use this line for months, my editor at Covermesongs always cutting it for fear of offence. (Yet he allows me to call canadians boring…..)
Harper is better with accompaniment to bring out his best, like his fab gospel record with the Blind Boys of Alabama.
I’ll definitely give this a go. Musselwhite is the greatest harmonica player out there, and Harper is always more engaged when he’s got company. Their previous outing was good.
Don’t miss the episode of WTF Pod visited by the two. Though I wish Marc would have talked more to Mr Eels.
http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-906-ben-harper-charlie-musselwhite-e-of-eels
It is ok.
Blues lite really. Good for Charlie gets a lot more sales and a bigger audience than his usual fare and Ben gets a bit more gravitas. Still I’d prefer Charlie with Gravenites.