Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals - Lifeline

Along with Dave Matthews, Harper leads the surfer brand of blissed-out blues, folk, reggae and jam-band music that includes Jack Johnson and Xavier Rudd. The acoustic songs on Harper’s latest, recorded in Paris with his group the Innocent Criminals, should go over well with the sun-baked, smoked-out summer festival crowd, especially the footloose “Say You Will,” the empowering “Fight Outta You,” the gospel-tinged soul number “Needed You Tonight” and the hypnotic guitar instrumental “Paris Sunrise #7.”

Aug. 28