Returning for another collaboration, Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite follow-up their Grammy-winning 2013 release Get Up! with a new batch of songs entitled No Mercy in This Land. This partnership is interesting because Harper, with his electric bottleneck guitar, approaches music from a soul, folk, blues rock, gospel and funk background whereas harmonica legend Musselwhite is known for his ties to the Chicago and Delta blues music scenes. When the two come together they produce a rich and vibrant bluesy roots music combination that melds both of their backgrounds. The duo is supported again by Harper collaborators Jesse Ingalls (bass), Jason Mozersky (lead guitar), and Jimmy Paxson (drums), with Harper primarily leading vocals and songwriting the ten tracks that make up the LP. Album highlights include: the title-track “No Mercy in This Land” which features Musselwhite on vocals; the rambling “Moving On”; the upbeat love proclamation on “Found the One”; the scorching “The Bottle Wins Again”; the back porch blues vibe on “Trust You to Dig My Grave”; and the tender ballad and album closer “Nothing at All.” No Mercy in this Land is the perfect bookend to 2013’s Get Up! and showcases Harper and Musselwhite taking traditional elements of blues music and making it sound fresh again. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Benjamin Booker, Gary Clark Jr., James Cotton, Little Walter