Ben Harper, “The Will to Live,” (***)
Virgin. On his third record, Harper plugs in and turns up the volume, delivering potent, rowdy jump-blues tinged with reggae, gospel and willowy folk. Hardly a one-trick pony, the singer pushes the boundaries of his style with the stunning standouts “Homeless Child” and “Widow of a Living Man,” the latter a chilling song about spousal abuse. Drenched with soul, charged with politics, it’s electrifying.
*
Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
More to Read
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.