Ben Harper and Relentless 7 - Shimmer and Shine [single]

Virgin Records

June 7, 2009, 12:53 PM

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Really, if you’re completely honest, I reckon you’ll be hard pushed to find one artist from our generation who is, by definition, cooler than Ben Harper. I mean, others have tried, even his protégé Jack Johnson came close, but no one seems to encompass the unnerving cool that Harper appears to ooze. And this chilled demeanour is no different on the latest single Shimmer and Shine from Ben Harper and the Relentless 7.

The single, taken from Ben Harper and the Relentless 7’s full length album White Lies For Dark Times, leads with a great drum intro, building to a pitch, joined by distorted guitar and Harper’s casual vocals “Shimmer and shine, we’ll leave it all behind/ Shimmer and shine, when you’ll tell me that you’re mine”. A laidback guitar fill at 1:55 provides a decent enough platform for guitarist Jason Mozersky to prove he has what it takes to perform with one of the biggest artists of rock/soul that this generation has to offer.

'Shimmer and Shine' ends abruptly just after 3 minutes (3:05 to be precise) which is just long enough for Harper to squeeze out one last elongated, rock n roll “Shimmer and shine”, before the single is over in what seemed like a flurry of action.

As far as a single goes, this is a pretty good track, from a pretty good band – but as always, is it enough? My thoughts are that this track, in the scheme of all things Ben Harper and Relentless 7, while still being a pretty damn good listen, is nothing overly significant. Bring on Whites Lies For Dark Times.

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