Ben Harper - The Will to Live

 Marvelous
Execellent album. Ben Harper incorporates many different styles of music and does it well. Overall the album is fairly spiritual in content without being over the top. I cant tell you how much I love this album. In the top 20 of albums from the Nineties. October 11, 2004

 one of the best rock albums of the 90s
First question. Why is it that whenever someone mentions Ben Harper the next person's name that comes up is Lenny Kravitz? Their music is not that similar. Obviously the similarity between them is that they are the most popular African American rock musicians of the 90s. I hate this because it suggests a sense of racism by immediately pinning them against each other and making comparisons. They are two entirely different musicians, though both great in their own right. They are not the first African American rockers, for rock was invented by Chuck Berry and mastered by Jimi Hendrix. Not only that but there were other influencial and revolutionary African American rockers since then, for example, Bad Brains, Fishbone, etc.

Anyway, "The Will to Live" is an excellent album. Popular hard rock is not the forte here, nor is funked out rock. What Harper does is incorporate many genres into his mix, including blues, roots reggae, rock, folk, and grunge. The excellent strings, such as in "Roses from my Friends", suggest classical influences as well. This album pays no regard to boundaries and does it well throughout the album. All in all a work of art. April 20, 2004

 soulful & moving
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. February 20, 2004

 ...not groundbreaking... but honest...
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! April 21, 2003

 the will to win my musical heart
Ben Harper is one of the few original artist to jump race and genre boundries. he is a master of all styles able to rock out with screaming guitar, he can hit right to your heart the next on a simple soft chord. Do yourself a favor and check out any of his CD's. or go for the gold and get the box set January 5, 2003

More reviews at Amazon.com ...