www.benharper.net

In a nutshell: At the end of a nine month European tour, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals landed in a Paris recording studio and completed their new album, Lifeline, in just seven days. Direct onto tape, no ProTools, no autotune, no studio tricks. The result: a soulful masterpiece with beautifully direct lyrics, undeniable grooves and an effortless energy that recalls the best works of Otis Redding, Bill Withers and Beggars Banquet-era Stones. It's that good.

Imagine if you will: They do make them like that anymore.