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Bloodline Maintenance
Rock · 2022 · 11 tracks · 32m

Bloodline Maintenance

Ben Harper

Gritty 70s soul meets the resonance of lap-slide guitar in a deeply personal exploration of grief, heritage, and social justice.

July 22, 2022 · Chrysalis

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Bloodline Maintenance is a sinewy, muscular record that finds Ben Harper leaning heavily into the funk-inflected soul of the 1970s. It sounds like a conversation between the ghost of Bill Withers and a modern bluesman, characterized by deep-pocket grooves and a dry, intimate production style that places the listener right in the room. The album is anchored by a profound sense of loss, dedicated to his longtime bassist Juan Nelson, which manifests in basslines that feel both celebratory and mournful. It is a record that demands your attention not through volume, but through the sheer weight of its conviction and the tactile quality of its instrumentation.

Tracklist · 11 Tracks · 32m
01
Below Sea Level
1:48
02
We Need to Talk About It
2:53
03
Where Did We Go Wrong
2:44
04
Problem Child
4:32
05
Need to Know Basis
2:00
06
It Ain’t No Use
3:29
07
More Than Love
3:07
08
Smile at the Mention
3:39
09
Honey, Honey
3:32
10
Knew the Day Was Comin’
2:10
11
Maybe I Can’t
2:12
Moments Worth Listening For
the way the slide guitar wails like a human voice during the climax of Below Sea Level
the stark rhythmic handclaps that drive the protest-heavy We Need to Talk About It
the deep resonant bass groove on Problem Child that feels like it is vibrating in your chest
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Bloodline Maintenance sound next to the rest of Ben Harper's catalogue?

Bass+1.8σ

The instrumentation foregrounds bass notably more than the catalogue usually does.

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