Ben Harper Releases Eagerly Awaited Album 'Bloodline Maintenance'
An official lyric video for “We Need To Talk About It” is streaming via YouTube.
By: Michael Major Jul. 22, 2022
3x GRAMMY® Award-winning singer-songwriter/musician/producer Ben Harper releases his much- anticipated new album BLOODLINE MAINTENANCE along with an official music video for the new single "Need To Know Basis" - which features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage shot earlier this month at the Lucca Summer Festival in Italy.
Produced by Harper and the esteemed Sheldon Gomberg, "Need To Know Basis" marks the latest single from Harper's fiercely soulful new album, BLOODLINE MAINTENANCE, out today.
"Need To Know Basis" showcases the distinctive sound of the Clavinet, performed by legendary keyboardist Larry Goldings (James Taylor, John Mayer, Steve Gadd). "It's kind of the unsung hero of soul music," Harper says. "It was made famous by the intro to Stevie Wonder's 'Superstition," which was probably the first song my dad ever played for me. I brought Larry in and we had an absolute blast. 'Need To Know Basis' is about how hard it is for some people to say I love you, and how people can be waiting to hear that from them. The bass is accompanied by a low-end shadow guitar playing along, which was something I learned from Al Anderson from The Wailers."
BLOODLINE MAINTENANCE was first heralded last month with the premiere of "We Need To Talk About It," available now at all DSPs and streaming services. An official lyric video is streaming via YouTube.
Propelled by Harper's blisteringly funky guitar, "We Need To Talk About It" defiantly addresses the wounds of slavery through a sharp-edged call-and-response with gospel-fueled backing vocals and pounding rhythms augmented by the distinctive sound of the African talking drum.
The track was met by immediate acclaim from such publications as Rolling Stone, which wrote, "'We Need to Talk About It' boasts a potent blend of gospel, funk, and blues, with Harper singing back-and-forth with a choir over a steady groove of rumbling percussion and wobbling guitar licks. Towards the end of the song, Harper's clear-eyed lyrics - 'How does a ghost forgive... How are we supposed to live/With 12 million taken/Not one single reparation' - are punctuated with a fierce reply from the choir: 'We need to talk about it.'"
Harper - joined by his longtime band, The Innocent Criminals - will herald BLOODLINE MAINTENANCE with an epic world tour highlighted by North American and European headline dates, festival performances, US shows alongside Jack Johnson, and a 10-night run supporting his recent collaborator Harry Styles at Los Angeles, CA's Kia Forum. Additional headline dates will be announced. For updates and ticket information, please visit here.
Listen to the new album here:
Watch the new music video here:
BEN HARPER & THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS WORLD TOUR 2022
JULY
20 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 Summer Nights Open Air
22 - Barcelona, Spain - Festival Jardins Pedralbes
23 - Girona, Spain - Sons del Món
25 - Madrid, Spain - Noches del Botánico
28 - Carcassonne, France - Festival de Carcassonne
29 - Gignac, France - Le Festival Ecaussysteme à Gignac
31 - Colmar, France - Foire aux Vins d'Alsace
AUGUST
2 - Palmanova, Italy - Piazza Grande
3 - San Mauro Pascoli, Italy - Acieloaperto Festival
4 - Rome, Italy - Cavea Auditorium Parco Della Musica
6 - Taormina, Italy - Teatro Antico di Taormina
9 - Riola Sardo, Italy - Parco dei Suoni
11 - Brescia, Italy - Festa di Radio Onda d'Urto
26 - Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada - Trois-Rivières En Blues
SEPTEMBER
16 - Victoria, BC - Rifflandia Festival *
18 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
20 - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater
21 - Bend, OR - Clear Summer Nights
22 - Troutdale, OR - McMenamins Edgefield
24 - George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre ^
OCTOBER
6 - Ojai, CA - Libbey Bowl
7 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
23 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
24 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
26 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
28 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
29 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
31 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
NOVEMBER
2 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
4 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
5 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
7 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
9 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
11 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
12 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
14 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
15 - Inglewood, CA - Kia Forum †
* Festival Performance
^ w/Jack Johnson
† w/Harry Styles
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