G.E Harrison's review was spot on, there's no way I could add any relevant information about the album. On a personal note, loved their first collaboration "Get Up", so this was a must to have. Charlie's harp makes this album for me, has subtle melodic tones and full on playing throughout. | No Mercy In This Land Deluxe Edition (2018) Genre - Blues Web - http://www.benharper.com/ My Rating - 4.65. Notes - This album follows up 2013’s Grammy-winning album “Get Up!” Ben Harper takes nearly all the lead vocals and writes or co-writes the ten original songs, with Charlie Musselwhite adding occasional vocals but mainly his wonderful blues harmonica. “Bad Habits” is lowdown blues with great harmonica from the start and “Love and Trust” is a typical melodic gospel-inflected Harper song with nice slide guitar, “The Bottle Wins Again” is a tough blues that turns up the volume and features nice lead guitar and more great harp. “Love Is Not Enough” is a restrained blues ballad with Ben’s laid back vocals and lovely lead guitar, while “Trust You to Dig My Grave” is an acoustic track that is a nice contrast to the other electric songs, like “Movin’ On” - a rocker in the Jimmy Reed mold. The title track is a haunting melody that has echoes of the Gary Davis song “Death Don’t Have No Mercy” which references some tragic events in Charlie’s life. The album is rounded off by the beautiful minor key ballad “Nothing at All”, with Mr. Musselwhite’s plaintive harp adding an extra sadness. However, the ten tracks last just around 35 minutes, so it makes sense to get the ‘deluxe’ version, which adds an extra three tracks - live versions of "The Bottle Wins Again", "Trust You To Dig My Grave" and the title track all recorded live at The Machine Shop Studio in Santa Monica. I enjoyed this varied album that paired Ben's more modern take on the blues with Charlie's more traditional approach to great effect, and Charlie does play some fabulous harp. (Amazon review by G. E. Harrison) Click on cover for Amazon Review |
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