A California native, Ben Harper puts a fresh perspective on Woodstock-era folk rock, 1970s soul and pretty much any other genre he comes into contact with. Harper's classic rock 'n' soul 'n' blues approach can come off like early-career Lenny Kravitz, but his honesty and integrity place him in a different category; in fact, the way Harper has built his audience up brings Bruce Springsteen to mind. Harper's solo debut, Welcome to the Cruel World, came out in 1994 and ...  [+]