Ben Harper is a Sexy Beast

I find myself exclaiming this once every three minutes or so while I'm in my car, as Ben Harper's Pleasure and Pain album is playing over and over on my way to work. The music varies from the mellow, harmonic, meditative Pay The Man, to the strummy, tongue in cheek Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now, but it all has the characteristic sound that I've come to love from so many acoustic artists, most notably Mr. Harper.

A voice that's sometimes scratchy, sometimes just the right amount of flat, and sometimes just so sweetly melodic, whether he's up or down. Fingers that know his guitar strings better than anything he's ever touched, that know when to pick and play around, when to bend all the notes, and when to make heavenly chords and rhythms. Lyrics that make you think about the state of the world, about life, about spirituality. An attitude that says "This is who I am. And here's why..."

I'm gushing. I'll stop. In the meantime, find yourself this album. Then listen to the title track. Then your tune will sound a little bit like mine.