Bloodline Maintenance

Last updated

Bloodline Maintenance
Ben Harper - Bloodline Maintenance.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 22, 2022 (2022-07-22)
Length32:06
LanguageEnglish
Label Chrysalis
Producer
Ben Harper chronology
Winter Is for Lovers
(2020)
Bloodline Maintenance
(2022)
Wide Open Light
(2023)

Bloodline Maintenance is a 2022 studio album from American singer-songwriter Ben Harper, released on Chrysalis Records.

Contents

Reception

Writing for American Songwriter , Hal Horowitz gave this release four out of five stars, calling it a return to form after 2020's Winter Is for Lovers , with the artist laying "down a verbal and musical gauntlet". [1] Editors of AllMusic Guide scored this album four out of five stars, with critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine commenting noting themes of intergenerational trauama and the death of longtime bandmate Juan Nelson (to whom the album is dedicated). [2] In Mojo , John Aizelwood rated Bloodline Maintenance three out of five stars, characterizing it as a "diverse collection" that does not "stray[...] too far from his usual template". [3] Writing for The Arts Desk , Thomas H. Green calls out several possible musical touchstones and influences and characterizes the music as "combin[ing] a sinewy energy and solid lyrics with well-chosen retro influences that don’t overshadow the end result" with Harper's "guitar-play, unshowy, imaginative and likeably expressive". [4]

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Harper

  1. "Below Sea Level" – 1:47
  2. "We Need to Talk About It" – 2:53
  3. "Where Did We Go Wrong" – 2:44
  4. "Problem Child" – 4:31
  5. "Need to Know Basis" – 1:59
  6. "It Aint No Use" – 3:29
  7. "More Than Love" – 3:07
  8. "Smile at the Mention" – 3:38
  9. "Honey, Honey" – 3:31
  10. "Knew the Day Was Comin'" – 2:10
  11. "Maybe I Can't" – 2:12

Personnel

Additional musicians

Technical personnel

Chart performance

Bloodline Maintenance topped out at 56 on Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique's French charts on the week of August 1, [5] and 15 on Swiss Hitparade. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Restless</i> (Sara Evans album) 2003 studio album by Sara Evans

Restless is the fourth studio album by American country music singer Sara Evans. It was released in August 2003 via RCA Records Nashville. It has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

<i>1,2,3 Soleils</i> 1999 live album by Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel

1, 2, 3 Soleils is a live album performed by Algerian artists Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel, widely hailed as the three masters of raï music. The concert, a unique event, took place in 1998 in Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, and the songs consisted of the most famous from all three artists plus a few Algerian classics. All 23 were divided into two discs, produced and arranged by Steve Hillage, released by Barclay in 1999.

<i>Duets</i> (Elton John album) 1993 studio album by Elton John and various artists

Duets is the first collaboration studio album by English musician Elton John, released in 1993. The album debuted at No. 7 in the UK. In the US, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum in January 1994 by the RIAA.

<i>Barry Manilow II</i> 1974 studio album by Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow II is the second studio album by Barry Manilow released in 1974. Propelled by the major success of its lead single "Mandy" and featuring a further international hit in "It's a Miracle", the album was a commercial breakthrough for Manilow. First issued by Bell Records, it was reissued after the company was reorganized into Arista Records. The album's success spawned a notable parody in the picture sleeve of Ray Stevens' 1979 single, "I Need Your Help Barry Manilow".

<i>Shes Strange</i> 1984 studio album by Cameo

She's Strange is the tenth album by the funk band Cameo, released in 1984. It reached number 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart, number 27 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of over 500,000 copies.

<i>Afternoons in Utopia</i> 1986 studio album by Alphaville

Afternoons in Utopia is the second album by German synth-pop band Alphaville, released in 1986 via Warner Music. The album was recorded between September 1985 and May 1986.

<i>The Rumour</i> (album)

The Rumour is the thirteenth studio album by Olivia Newton-John on 2 August 1988. The title track was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, features backing vocals and piano by John. The album featured the singles "The Rumour", "Can't We Talk It Over in Bed" and the Australian-only promo-single "It's Always Australia for Me", which was released for the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. This was also her first album not produced by long-time producer, John Farrar.

<i>Hey Santa!</i> 1993 studio album by Carnie & Wendy Wilson

Hey Santa! is a Christmas album recorded by Carnie & Wendy Wilson. It was released in October 1993, and entered the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart on Christmas Day, 1993. The album was the first album recorded by the Wilson sisters after the group Wilson Phillips went on hiatus.

<i>Front Row</i> (album) 1982 live album by David Meece

Front Row is David Meece's fifth album, it was recorded live in 1982.

<i>Love Song</i> (Anne Murray album) 1974 studio album by Anne Murray

Love Song is the eighth studio album by Canadian country pop artist Anne Murray released in 1974 via Capitol Records. It peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart and the title track won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

<i>Love All the Hurt Away</i> 1981 studio album by Aretha Franklin

Love All the Hurt Away is the twenty-seventh studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. It was released on August 20, 1981. This album is the singer's second release under the Arista Records label. The Arif Mardin-produced disc reached fourth place on Billboard's R&B albums chart and number 36 on the main Billboard album chart, selling roughly 250,000 copies in the US.

<i>Rock Solid</i> 1988 studio album by Commodores

Rock Solid is the 13th studio album by the Commodores, released in 1988. At this time in the band's career, hits were no longer forthcoming, and this album failed to enter the Billboard albums chart. The single, "Solitaire", reached No. 51 on the R&B chart. It is the last of the band's albums with keyboard player and founding member Milan Williams, who left after a dispute about playing in South Africa.

<i>Maestro</i> (Taj Mahal album) 2008 studio album by Taj Mahal

Maestro is an album by American blues artist Taj Mahal. It was nominated for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

<i>Live! One Night Only</i> 1998 live album by Patti LaBelle

Live! One Night Only is a live album by Patti LaBelle, released in September 1998 through the record label MCA. The album earned LaBelle the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. The album was recorded in New York at the Hammerstein Ballroom on June 2, 1998.

<i>24/7</i> (Gerald Albright and Norman Brown album) 2012 studio album by Gerald Albright & Norman Brown

24/7 is a collaboration album by Gerald Albright & Norman Brown. The album was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards.

<i>Chicago XXXVI: Now</i> 2014 studio album by Chicago

Chicago XXXVI: Now, sometimes stylized as "NOW" Chicago XXXVI or Now: Chicago XXXVI, is the twenty-fourth studio album, and thirty-sixth overall by Chicago. It was written and recorded in 2013–2014, and was released on July 4, 2014. Aside from the occasional few new tracks found in the band's many compilation and cover albums, Now is the band's first full album of new compositions since 2006's Chicago XXX,. This album has the first original Chicago credits for veteran musicians Walfredo Reyes, Jr. and Lou Pardini, since joining the band.

<i>Lovers Again</i> (album) 1996 studio album by Alexander ONeal

Lovers Again is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Alexander O'Neal.

<i>Ground Control</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Rudimental

Ground Control is the fourth studio album by English drum and bass band Rudimental, released on 3 September 2021 through Asylum Records. It is their final album to feature Amir Amor, who left the band in October 2022.

<i>American Dreamer</i> (album) 2021 box set by Laura Nyro

American Dreamer is a 2021 box set of reissues from American singer-songwriter Laura Nyro released by Madfish. It has received positive critical reception.

References

  1. Horowitz, Hal (July 21, 2022). "Ben Harper Returns with a Musical Gauntlet on 'Bloodline Maintenance'". American Songwriter . Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ben Harper – Bloodline Maintenance". AllMusic Guide . Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  3. Aizelwood, John (September 2022). "Filter Albums". Mojo . p. 87. ISSN   1351-0193.
  4. Green, Thomas H. (July 23, 2022). "Album: Ben Harper Bloodline Maintenance". The Arts Desk . Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  5. "Top Albums (Week 30, 2022)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  6. "Ben Harper Discography". Charts.nz. Retrieved December 14, 2020.