It needs a section all by itself. Call it the Ben Rack. The Rebirth of Cool Ben Harper defies musical classification. Harper is a music store manger's anomaly. Defying classification, Harper's sound transcends many genres, forcing the record store manager to pick one area to place Harper's CDs.
Harper is part blues, part soul, part gospel, part reggae, part rock.
Born into a musical family and brought up with the groovin' vibes of Hendrix, Marley, the blues and Motown jammin' from his parents' record player, Harper's influences are easily identifiable. It is also why Harper's music is so difficult to type. No Ben Harper. After describing Harper's rare sound to a Tower Records employee, she asked if I checked all the aforementioned sections and finally directed me to the jazz area, where she pointed me to Harper's CDs. Harper, in his quiet unassuming way, laughs at the story.