Ben Harper

Live from Mars can be seen as the conclusion to the first chapter of Ben Harper's career. Indeed his star had risen steadily during the mid-1990s, and this live record, released in 2001, was an admission not only of his popularity but also of his command of the stage. On record he had established himself early as a sensitive singer with an aptitude for acoustic blues and folk. Each new album revealed a new dimension of his nature: reggae, gospel, soul and good old-fashioned guitar rock. Harper delivers his many moods on this two-disc set.

Ben Harper has never been afraid of showing off his influences, and this generous live set
is no exception. On the electric band jams on Disc One and solo acoustic turns on Disc
Two, it's no secret when he's channeling Jeff Buckley's otherworldly rock ("Woman in
You"), Cat Stevens' Elizabethan folk ("Pleasure and Pain"), the Jackson 5's bubble funk
("Steal My Kisses") or Led Zeppelin's Gaelic metal excess ("Glory and Consequenc... More >