REVIEW: White Lies For Dark Times By Ben Harper And Relentless7

(Virgin)

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Number With No Name; roars as the opening track on Ben Harper's latest offering - quizzically I ask myself if the musician has been listening to the Black Keys. Surely this is just a one off track. Remarkably it isn't; ‘Why Must You Always Dress In Black’ ups the ante with its furious guitar solo and fuzz-box embrace. This is a side of Harper sometimes explored in previous albums such as Diamonds On The Inside, though never really fully conceived. Until now. It's as if comparisons between Harper and Jack Johnson have caused him to branch out to a more, shall we say, aggressive style. That said, there are the archetypical ballads one would expect - ‘Skin Thin’ and ‘Fly One Time’ seated squarely in the middle of the road. It's a shame; if Harper held his ground the album could have been an interesting new tangent for him. Instead, the second half of the album feels like he ran out of steam. White Lies for Dark Times does show he can step outside is comfort zone though…for a short while.

Benjii Jackson