Customer Reviews

Welcome to Cruel World

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Let me start by mentioning Geoffrey Himes, the Amazon editorial reviewer: how does one so full of his self-importance get to be a reviewer? I thought a review should be an objective look at what is on the CD, but Himes chooses to use the review as a vehicle for his own ego. Go back and have another listen to this CD, Geoffrey; this time without any preconcieved ideas or biases.

What will be heard then is a CD that is moving, thought provoking, inspirational, and brimming with talent. Himes says that Harper has modest talent. If Ben Harper is posessed with modest talent, then that leaves a great many other musicians in the unskilled bracket! I find that Harper's voice is very unusual and with great range (trying singing along Geoffrey!) and his guitar playing is brilliant without being flashy...kind of heart-felt. And the rest of his band make this CD groove on the accompanied tracks.

You must listen to this album. It is breathtaking.

I picked up this album after buying the other three by Ben Harper and greatly enjoying what I found on each of them. I can't believe why I didn't make Welcome to the Cruel World my FIRST Ben Harper purchase! If one had all four of his albums and played them in chronological order, the musical progression could clearly be mapped out from the stripped-down acoustic setting found on his debut to the varied styles and textures contained on his current studio release.

Anyway,Welcome to the Cruel World introduces the listener to the honest, soulful songwriting that has since become a trademark of Harper's craft. Some of the songs are uncompromisingly political (Like A King, How Many Miles Must We March), some are deeply introspective and personal (Pleasure and Pain, Walk Away, the title track), some display a tasteful, mature outlook on love (Waiting On An Angel, Forever) and even some songs showcase a lighter, more playful side (Breakin' Down, Mama's Got a Girlfriend Now).

The musicianship on this album is first-rate. Harper's guitar playing, especially his slide work, is truly inspiring. The backing musicians complement him nicely without overwhelming the feel of the songs. Overall, Welcome to the Cruel World should be the album to get for the uninitiated. For those who only know Ben Harper from his "Faded" and "Steal My Kisses" singles that were occaisonally shown on MTV2 will find him to be one of the best kept musical secrets of the 90's.

This might not be one of Ben's best albums, but it is still a great album. It is quite surprising that Geoff Himes, the amazon reviewer, gives this album such a poor wrap. His opinion is that Ben Harper's singing brings the album down. Unfortunately for Geoff, he probably hasn't picked up on the fact that Ben's voice is one of the things that distinguishes his music and makes it so unique. Himes is so caught up in making comparisons between Harper and other artists that he fails to evaluate the album for what it really is. A music reviewer should listen to an album for the first time with no preconceived ideas - something Himes obviously has not done, and therefore calls into question his credentials as a music reviewer.

Geoffrey Himes is quite obviously an idiot. There are probably hilarious, idiotic reviews like this one that can be found for almost every great artist/band, whereby a near-sighted, close-minded music hack has decided that the artist/band in question wont make it. Hilarious and idiotic because of how wrong they are.

Great album, man.

From the opening track, we are instantly made aware of the musical capabilities of Ben Harper. A simple Weissenborn solo, at first listen, later, at more focused attention, one can hear Ben's soul pouring forth through the resonance in the hollow bodied instrument. Throughout the album we are witness to the various emotions and beliefs of this man, all through extremely captivating songwriting and masterful guitar skill. In "Breaking Down" Ben lays down an extremely catchy groove while expressing the confusion so prevalent in heartbreak. Though his voice may seem weak at times, it is through such weakness, that his vulnerability, his humanity shines through. Seen in "Waiting on an Angel", and Walk Away", they are simple ballads that pour forth a heartwrenching amount of emotion in mere 3.5 minutes spurts. Also, "Pleasure and Pain" paints such a gorgeous mental picture, that it is almost impossible to describe such a magnificent piece of songwriting in a pathetic internet review.

Ben Harper is vastly different from the majority of contemporary acts. He writes such personal material, with such heart, a craftmanship so rarely found these days. It is difficult to even compare him to anything in the market these days so I won't. I just pray he will not go down in history as that guy who sang "Steal My Kisses" while opening for the ridiculously overrated Dave Matthews Band.

My grandfather passed away this last March and I had to fly home for the funeral. I didn't feel like reading a book or talking to the person next to me so I went up and bought a c.d. for the ride home. Ben Harper's "Welcome to the Cruel World" just about had me in tears, but always with a smile on my face. The first track, an instrumental piece, had me running pitcures through my head of my grandfather and I taking walks and just sitting on his porch talking. And track five, "Waiting on an Angel" made me happy just to know that one day I will see him a again. After the funeral tracks like "Pleasure and Pain" and "Welcome to the Cruel World" really spoke to me and I could sense the emotions in them. Now, I know that my review may seem biased and you may wonder if almost six months later I still love it? Very much so! Emotional, raw music does not need a context or a label put on it to stir a human. It just does. Ben Harper just writes good music and with great lyrics that don't leave you scratching your head. He's a Bob Dylan/John Lennon/Nick Drake for the 90's and hopefully for the new century

Some people may have heard Ben Harpers song "Burn One Down" and think he is a good artist. Well this is by far the best album he has recorded. I have every one of his albums and recommend this one to someone in search of mellow music. The only drawback to this song seems to be song #6. If your going to "Burn One Down" and looking for the greatest Ben Harper album to listen to, then Welcome to the Cruel World is it! These songs are so mellow and peacful your garunteed to relax or score with date.

I can't agree w/the negative reviews of this album (including the one Amazon.com editorial reviewer, Geoffrey Hines, put forward). On the whole, it might be a bit simplistic, slow, and quiet, especially in light of his later work, but it's meant to be that way, and I find it enjoyable. "Whipping Boy" and "Breakin' Down" are some of his best songs. He addresses sociopolitical issues in "Like A King" and "How Many Miles Must We March" and softly sings of friendship in "Forever" and "Walk Away" while adopting a religious attitude in "Waiting On An Angel," "Don't Take That Attitude To Your Grave," and "I'll Rise." Besides, I can't dislike an artist who supports the Green Party and saving the environment and opposes hyposcrisy, corporate greed, and cultural, racial, and religious intolerance while throughout his career expressing these concerns with such amazing sensitivity and passion. As usual, Harper exhibits a wisdom beyond his years as one of the greatest musical artists of his time.

Ben Harper combines a wide variety of music styles in order to produce his various albums. Each of his albums combine aspects of jazz, rock, and folk. Harper's 1994 album, "Welcome to the Cruel World", was a major success. This album covers introduces listeners to Harper's aucoustic, Instrument, lite rock, and more heavy rock styles.

As with most of Harper's albums, he begins the album with his Instrumental style. The Three of Us, Harper's first track on the album combines all of the styles expressed within the album. The track begins soft rock and carries out in a more heavy rock tone. Other songs on the album like Walk Away and Forever are very similar in their soft rock nature. While How Many Miles Must We March and Welcome to the Cruel World show Harper's more hard rock style.

Harper is very successful in all of his albums especially "Welcome to the Cruel World" in providing listeners with a very ecletic mix of sound on one album. This album serves as a model for his following albums, "The Will to Live" and "Diamonds on the Inside", in the style and order of the tracks on the album. Overall this ablum is a must for any Harper fan.

To all of you ignorants that have given this album negative reviews...

Please realise ben's depth of styles and the way he implements his own view of the world. Very honest and very talented.

Pleasure and Pain, Walk Away, The Three of Us, Waiting On An Angel, the list goes on. I think the true difficulty of writing simple music is by making it catch and sound good. Wainting on An Angel is not a difficult one to write but very difficult to put aside.

Peace