You Found Another Lover - Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite
from the album Get Up! (2013)
I am in Memphis this week, supporting a good friend who is competing in the International Blues Challenge. The drive put me in striking distance of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Who could imagine that such a small town could fill the world with its sweet soul music? Then I crossed into Mississippi, where the ghosts of Muddy Waters, R.L. Burnside, and Elvis Presley are never far away. Finally, I am walking in Memphis, hallowed ground for the music lover.
To make things sweeter, I arrive on the day that the revived Stax Records releases Get Up!, a new album from Ben Harper with blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite.
Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite have been flirting with a record since first hooking up as sidemen on a John Lee Hooker record a decade or so ago. Persistence paid off with this record. The song I've been digging most is You Found Another Lover.
I gravitate towards the more acoustic side of Ben Harper. I think it because of the connection his voice makes with my spirit. It has a soulful authenticity that really shines on acoustic numbers. Amping down the volume also allows you to fully appreciate the lyrics. In this song, he laments a newly departed love as he "sits here in a daze, wishing I could change my ways", the chorus of "you found another lover, and I've lost another friend" has a beautiful touch when sung with his honeyed falsetto.
Add in the harmonica work of Charlie Musselwhite and I am in heaven. Charlie Musselwhite has played with everyone from Muddy Waters to Bonnie Raitt. He has a signature tone that you can pick out in just a few notes. On this record, it is the perfect compliment to Ben Harper.
Click Here to listen to the album version.
Click Here to watch them play the song I Don't Believe A Word You Say off the record. I love the video footage.
Click Here to watch Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite talking about their new record.
I am in Memphis this week, supporting a good friend who is competing in the International Blues Challenge. The drive put me in striking distance of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Who could imagine that such a small town could fill the world with its sweet soul music? Then I crossed into Mississippi, where the ghosts of Muddy Waters, R.L. Burnside, and Elvis Presley are never far away. Finally, I am walking in Memphis, hallowed ground for the music lover.
To make things sweeter, I arrive on the day that the revived Stax Records releases Get Up!, a new album from Ben Harper with blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite.
Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite have been flirting with a record since first hooking up as sidemen on a John Lee Hooker record a decade or so ago. Persistence paid off with this record. The song I've been digging most is You Found Another Lover.
I gravitate towards the more acoustic side of Ben Harper. I think it because of the connection his voice makes with my spirit. It has a soulful authenticity that really shines on acoustic numbers. Amping down the volume also allows you to fully appreciate the lyrics. In this song, he laments a newly departed love as he "sits here in a daze, wishing I could change my ways", the chorus of "you found another lover, and I've lost another friend" has a beautiful touch when sung with his honeyed falsetto.
Add in the harmonica work of Charlie Musselwhite and I am in heaven. Charlie Musselwhite has played with everyone from Muddy Waters to Bonnie Raitt. He has a signature tone that you can pick out in just a few notes. On this record, it is the perfect compliment to Ben Harper.
Click Here to listen to the album version.
Click Here to watch them play the song I Don't Believe A Word You Say off the record. I love the video footage.
Click Here to watch Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite talking about their new record.
Good stuff. Great roots.
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