Ben Harper has split ways with Innocent Criminals, well for the time being. He is performing with a side project for the end of the year and the start of the new year. The new project is Relentless7. It’s composed of three musicians Ben met about two years ago. The band is made up of guitars led by Jason Mozersky, percussion by Jordan Richardson, and bass by Jesse Ingallis.
I think it is awesome that Harper is doing something a little different. He has been playing with the Criminals forever and he is so talented that it is a good time to try new avenues. Last time Harper strayed away from the Criminals he won a Grammy with the Blind Boys of Alabama. It was a gospel album that was very different from what he was doing with the Criminals. The man did single handedly bring back the slide guitar.
Last time I saw Harper and the Criminals was on September 7, 2007 at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City Mo. The band’s live shows truly show their depth and musical prowess, but a new direction could show a new aspect of Harper’s creative process and I am thoroughly ecstatic.
The new bands website is www.relentless7.com. Since they are still planning a tour, the site is not full of pictures or interactive media. It does have a playlist of three songs. The first being a version of Prince’s Purple Rain, Harper using his patent slide guitar on the track gives it a new sound. The second song is Good Times and Bad Times; the classic Zeppelin tune. This is a straight up rocker, which is a change of pace for Harper because even in his harder hitting works, they always add some funk whether in the bass or keys. This is straight up and in your face. The third is the only track that the new band has supplied to the public. It is called Serve Your Soul. I think this has a bluesy sound than the Criminals because it isn’t played by 7 different members. It’s a simplistic approach with four members. There is innocence with Harper’s voice and the simplicity of a four instruments. It has a Who accent, Townsend aggression in the guitar, which mixes with a new grungier sound like the White Stripes.
There is a performance by the new band, while on tour promoting citizens to vote in the 2008 presidential election in Dayton, Ohio. The YouTube video can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_Xx8wbJZiw&feature=related. It is a performance of Queen and David Bowie’s classic Under Pressure.