Ben Harper’s new album Winter Is For Lovers unfolds entirely without words. It is a pro-foundly emotional story told exclusively through the nuance of sound. The narration is provided by a single lap-steel guitar and the music references blues and folk as well as flamenco, Indian and classical, but it transcends any specific style. In that, the album philosophically evokes the American Primitive movement pioneered by John Fahey and Leo Kottke, utilizing masterful playing to create an impressionistic and affecting work. As Harper explains, “Hopefully it cuts deep enough where people can see their own experiences in the music.”
Ben Charles Harper is a three-time GRAMMY winning musician and songwriter. He has produced records for artists including Mavis Staples, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Natalie Maines, Rickie Lee Jones and more. He has recorded albums both alone and with his longtime band The Innocent Criminals, establishing a fanbase throughout the world. And while he incorporates a number of different styles into his unique sound - classic soul, reg-gae, rock, he is, at his very core, a blues and folk musician.