January 28, 2013

Music Review: “Blood Side Out” By Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite

album art

TRACK 7

“Blood Side Out”

From Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite’s Get Up!

STAX/CONCORD MUSIC GROUP

Liner notes: All hell breaks loose on this raucous track as crashing drums, Musselwhite’s blistering harmonica, and Harper’s furious vocals forecast impending disaster.

Behind the music: Versatile California singer-songwriter Harper won a Grammy for his 2004 collaboration with the gospel group Blind Boys of Alabama. Born in Mississippi, Musselwhite has long been a leading exponent of the driving blues style pioneered by Little Walter, the only harmonica player ever inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Check it out if you like: Bands such as the Black Keys, North Mississippi Allstars, and Alabama Shakes—all experts at updating primal sounds.

This review originally appeared in our January/February issue of Mother Jones.

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