Ben Harper Welcome To The Cruel World Vinyl LP 25Th Ann Ed 2019

1. The Three Of Us
2. Whipping Boy
3. Breakin' Down
4. Don't Take That Attitude To Your Grave
5. Waiting On An Angel
6. Mama's Got A Girlfriend Now
7. Forever
8. Like A King
9. Pleasure And Pain
10. Walk Away
11. How Many Miles Must We March
12. Welcome To The Cruel World
13. I'll Rise

25th anniversary edition of Ben Harper's debut album. 'The full range of Ben Harper's influences would not come to bear until later albums, but his debut, 'Welcome to the Cruel World', lays a strong foundation. 'Like a King' and 'Take That Attitude to Your Grave' burn with a political conviction rarely heard during the 1990s. 'Forever' has a tenderness which demonstrates Harper's emotional range. Lackluster hippie jams that cultivated his early following may have served a purpose but feel fluffy by comparison when compared to the meatier tracks. Ben closes the album with a song that frequently closes his concerts, 'I'll Rise'. This song, built around Maya Angelou's 1979 poem 'And Still I Rise', reminds one of art's ability to pierce through society, self, and the soul' - Allmusic