LISTEN
Ben Harper and the Blind Boys of Alabama There Will Be A Light
Gospel legends the Blind Boys of Alabama have been making music together since FDR's third term, an absolutely ridiculous length of time. The group has written and recorded traditional and contemporary gospel for the better half of a century; even sang in a Broadway musical. It seems odd that the group's past would lead them to collaborate with a sometimes-stoned guitar wanker like Ben Harper, but here we are.
are. Recorded in only eight days, There Will Be A Light is gospel rock for the 21st century. Harper provides the fireworks, like the incendiary slide riff of " $_{11}$ th Commandment," a riff so fiery one can only wonder whether Gcd approves. Generally, though, Harper steps back,
lays down something simple, and lets the round robin soul of the Blind Boys shine through. The two groups work well together on a stormy cover of Dylan's "Well, Well, Well" and the ecclesiastical anecdotes "Church House Steps" and "Wicked Man," The album's best track, "Mother Pray," is a visceral cappella version of a traditional gospel song and it's the Blind Boys at their best, coaxing and creating ample emotion.
coaxing and creating simple music. The interplay between Harper and the Blind Boys is electric and gives the album great cohesion. There Will Be A Light sounds like an album from a band that's been together for years, not an ad hoc collaboration. These two successful and tenured artists have made an album that could (and should) usher in a new generation of soul and gospel fans.