Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals live and direct. Recorded during the singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist's 2000 tour, the 4LP set consists of clearly separated electric and acoustic portions. There are three covers on the album — Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing," Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," and The Verve's "The Drugs Don't Work" — that should be familiar to fans as Harper often performs them at shows, and songs like "Burn One Down" (from 1995's Fight for Your Mind), "Steal My Kisses" (from 1999's Burn to Shine), and "Walk Away" (from 1994's Welcome to the Cruel World) make the tracklisting. If you're familiar with Ben Harper's catalog, Live From Mars presents a variety of the artist's materials in a new light, and for newcomers, it's a solid gateway to get familiarized with the artist's sound.

• 180g pressing
• gatefold sleeve
• music label: Virgin Records 2009 / 2019

reviewed by singing in japanese 09/2019