Album Review: Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Call It What It Is

Eight years on from last recording together, Ben Harper's back with one of his original supports, the Innocent Criminals.

But while many Harper collaborations have specific styles, his Criminals' albums have always been a genre free-for-all that's only really worked once before with 1997's classic, The Will To Live. This somewhat recaptures that magic with a great AC/DC tribute in When Sex Was Dirty and bluesy Black Lives Matter anthem Call It What It Is. Tribal elements emerge in How Dark Is Gone while Finding Our Way turns up the reggae. There's no overall coherent direction here but there's no dud songs either and quite a few high points along the way.