Ben Harper's The Will To Live is a dramatic change in form musically, if not lyrically, for the retro/roots rock artist. But unlike fellow Virgin artist Lenny Kravitz, who's still trying to fuse his influences into his own unique, cohesive sound; Harper has created a sound that blends blues, reggae, gospel, rock, and soul into something entirely unique. Incredibly gifted as a singer and slide guitar player, Harper's "The Will To Live" is an unheralded classic that will certainly be listened to 40 to 50 years down the road, ala Harper's musical idle Robert Johnson. Harper's songs are timeless and rooted in simplicity, relying heavily on the authentic sound of the Weissenborn guitar and a standard D tuning {Instead of the basic E, he has a tendency to sing most of his songs in B flat]. The down-tuning blends perfectly with his Curtis Mayfield/Sam Cooke angeletic voice, and the musicians who make up the Innocent Criminals create a perfect backdrop of percussion and background tones to push Harper's new electric sound further. His lyrics are still rooted in spirituality, driven by an intense personal faith in God that hints at a young exposure to Catholicism in particular [I Shall Not Walk Alone]. That spirituality is what drives the music, and creates an intense honesty conveyed well to the audience. Harper's phrasing is so real, so heartfelt, so honest, only names like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and Aretha Franklin have every conveyed more power and feeling on a record. This cannot be overstated, given the wide-range of artists today. Harper crosses boundries and molds them. His music is undefinable, and not limited to any specific genre. Unlike the Clash's Sandinista, Harper has the skill and musicianship to pull it off. Ashes is a beautiful ballad of lonliness and remorse, but also a hopefull triumph of the spirit and struggle. Harper also rocks, Jah Work is a wild-tuned, rootsy reggae song unlike anything today. Every song is a unique piece of art. A spiritually overwhelming experience. Enough cannot be said about this wonderful album.

I bought the other three Ben Harper albums before this, so I was expecting a lot when I first listened to it. It by far blows Burn To Shine and Welcome to the Cruel World out of the water. I thought it would be impossible for Harper to produce an album to rival Fight For Your Mind, but he did it. This is the most impressive mix of acoustic folksy blues I have ever heard. If this album doesn't impress you, you need to poke youself with something sharp.

An album which expresses Harper's traditional genuflection to spirituality and concern for the less-than-fortunate. With "Homeless Child" and "Widow of a Living Man" (one of my favorite songs by him), Harper exhibits once again his uncanny ability of peering into the world of the downtrodden and revealing its anguish w/grace. While perhaps his most melancholy release, it's beautifully orchestrated, and like the majority of his work, it's an album that, thematically, speaks to those who are ahead of the status quo.

as a response to "a music fan"'s question... i believe this is just the will to live cd along with an extra live cd that came out with it for awhile... the song's on the live CD are 'the will to live', 'faded', 'forever', 'i shall not walk alone', 'voodoo chile'... the live version of 'i shall not walk alone' is especially powerful... also, does anybody know how to get a copy of ben's show (video) on the show "Sessions at West 54th"... let me know. 8-)>fight for your mind8-)>

cant say that i'm a fan of the country-folksy-bluesy-semi-acoustic-lowlevel-rock-and-soul genre... but this aint bad... nothing that feels prententious or forced... or even 'cute'... just honest... and i appreciate that type of music regardless to the form it takes on.

want to shake your moneymaker in the club? or rattle the concrete as you blow out your brand new stereo speakers???

then THIS aint gonna be the album you do it to...

but if you already lean toward the more eclectic/eccentric side of musical expression, then hey: get this and knock yourself out!