In the early '90s, Ben Harper released some great records. The 2000's, however, have been a different story. It's not that Harper has run out of soulful licks, it's just that he seems to have run out of the blues.

Maybe that's why he decided to take a different approach on "White Lies for Dark Times." Rather than record with his usual backing group, The Innocent Criminals, Harper opted to work with Austin, Texas trio Relentless 7. The result is the hardest rockin' release of Harper's career.

Harper's signature slide guitar is still front and center, but there are plenty of distorted guitars and pounding drums. "Up To You Now" adds more bite to Harper's standard blues style and "Shimmer and Shine" has all the fuzzed out punch of '70s punk (and is also an instant standout).

Unfortunately, despite the added intensity of the instrumentation, the record still lacks the vitality and bleeding heart that makes Harper such an amazing artist.