Wide Open Light
Studio album by
Ben Harper
ReleasedJune 2, 2023 (2023-06-02)
Studio
GenreFolk[1]
Length36:02
LabelChrysalis
Producer
Ben Harper chronology
Bloodline Maintenance
(2022)		 Wide Open Light
(2023)

Wide Open Light is the seventeenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ben Harper, released on June 2, 2023, through Chrysalis Records. It was preceded by the lead single "Yard Sale" featuring Jack Johnson. Harper will tour Europe and North America from July 2023.[2]

Background

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, the album is described as a "stripped-down, minimally-produced meditation on love, loss, and longing featuring 11 previously unreleased songs."[3] Harper explained, "I've been setting certain songs aside for the day I would hopefully release this album. It captures me exploring my way to being 53 years old... At its finest, it’s a reinvention of a style and sound. It’s something different than what is obviously categorizable because it's Black folk soul music.[3]

Most of the songs contain instrumentation only from an acoustic guitar, with Spin describing the songs as "spare and organic" and Harper stating that he has not "been that raw and that exposed on record—just me and guitar—for an entire album ever".[2] He described his motive for a mostly acoustic album as "There was once a time when albums didn't need an adjacent story or fable. When the songs were enough."[4] The album was additionally described in a press statement as "a family of songs [...] where each track is a close relative to the next" and "deliberately minimalist".[5]

Critical reception

Glide Magazine's Jim Hynes described the album as "a straight-forward singer-songwriter album, a folk album centered on personal songs, each related to the next, weighted toward pivotal moments and resilience", calling its centerpiece "Yard Sale" due to its "clever lyrics" and "catchy chorus". Hynes concluded that "the crafty imagery, wordplay, and indelible choruses will likely linger".[1] Hal Horwowitz wrote for American Songwriter that the album provides a "tantalizing, understated intimacy few other singer/songwriters can conjure with this spare, dialed-down approach."[6] Riff Magazine's Tony Hicks wrote, "Harper vocally channels Cat Stevens and Paul Simon, pouring his heart out while mixing his voice with lots of slide guitar, piano and heartfelt arrangement. It’s raw and moody and, at times, evokes memories of campfires and clouds parting over green hills."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ben Harper, except "Masterpiece" written by Harper and Jason Mozersky

Wide Open Light track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Heart and Crown"2:09
2."Giving Ghosts"4:11
3."Masterpiece"2:44
4."8 Minutes"2:16
5."Yard Sale" (with Jack Johnson)4:17
6."Trying Not to Fall in Love with You"3:33
7."Wide Open Light"4:10
8."One More Change"3:48
9."Growing Growing Gone"2:28
10."Love After Love"2:32
11."Thank You Pat Brayer"3:54
Total length:36:02

Personnel

Musicians

  • Ben Harper – vocals (2–10), 12-string acoustic guitar (track 1), lap steel guitar (2–5), piano (3, 6), acoustic guitar (3), guitar (5, 7–11), mandocello (11)
  • Jason Mozersky – guitar (4, 10)
  • Shelby Lynne – additional vocals on (4)
  • Jack Johnson – vocals, slack-key guitar (5)
  • Piers Faccini – oud guitar, additional vocals (7)
  • Travis Taylor – additional background vocals (7), background vocals (8)
  • Keesha Gumbs – additional background vocals (7), background vocals (8)
  • Karyn Porter – additional background vocals (7), background vocals (8)
  • Jesse Ingalls – bass (10)
  • Jimmy Paxson – drums (10)
  • Rebecca Schlappich – violin (10)

Technical

  • Ben Harper – production
  • Jason Mozersky – production (all tracks), guitar engineering (4)
  • Danny Kalb – production (all tracks), mixing (5, 8, 11), engineering (11)
  • Gavin Lurssen – mastering
  • James Shaw – mixing, engineering (2)
  • Sheldon Gomberg – engineering (1)
  • Kevin Smith – engineering (1)
  • Jaime Sickora – engineering (6)
  • Gabriel Veltri – engineering for Shelby Lynne (4)
  • Simon Beins – engineering for Jack Johnson (5)
  • Mike Valerio – bass engineering (3)
  • Jimmy Paxson – drum engineering (10)
  • Rebecca Schlappich – violin engineering (10)

Visuals

  • Jackie Phillips – art design
  • Ben Harper – cover photo
  • Michael Halsband – back cover photo

Charts

Chart performance for Wide Open Light
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] 99
French Albums (SNEP)[9] 60
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 33

References

  1. 1 2 Hynes, Jim (May 30, 2023). "Ben Harper Takes Minimalist Route On Introspective Wide Open Light (Album Review)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Cohen, Jonathan (April 5, 2023). "Ben Harper Plots 'Raw' New LP, Wide Open Light". Spin. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Ben Harper is our May 2023 Music Director". Harpers Bazaar. April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ Johnson, Laura (April 5, 2023). "Ben Harper Announces New Album Wide Open Light, Shares Single Yard Sale Feat Jack Johnson". Stereoboard. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  5. ↑ Todd, Nate (April 5, 2023). "Ben Harper Steps Into Wide Open Light On New Album, Shares Song With Jack Johnson". JamBase. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Review: Ben Harper Displays Sensitivity on 'Wide Open Light'". American Songwriter. June 5, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  7. ↑ "REVIEW: Ben Harper charming, heartbreaking and relatable on 'Wide Open Light'". Riff Magazine. May 28, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ben Harper – Wide Open Light" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Top Albums (Week 23, 2023)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ben Harper – Wide Open Light". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
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