This is a thank you letter to Ben Harper and David Worthington. David Worthington is a great friend of mine who works for EMI Canada. He is by all counts one of my best friends and a stand up individual who believes in music for what it is, the sounds of people’s souls.

EMI sponsored a night at The Rehearsal Hall in Toronto, a special presentation for Bravo Television with Ben Harper on April 09 2006. It was an industry only event with invited friends and I was one of the lucky ones to have been invited. I believe the crowd was no more than 60 people and I was blown away by both the sound of the acoustics and Ben Harper’s magnetism. He played an incredible acoustic set with only his friend to accompany him. I have been an avid fan of Ben Harper for years ever since a friend at Bishop’s University in Lennoxville Quebec, Canada – by the name of Alistair Heath passed me his second CD “Welcome to The Cruel World”. Thank you Alistair – I will never forget that gesture.

If you have ever listened to an album, truly listened to it back to back uninterrupted with no judgement before then you can fully understand. When I say that this and many albums afterwards have deeply affected me it is not an exaggeration. Ben Harper’s music provides me a sense of great appreciation for a band and a person that can voluntarily share so much by putting thought to song.

This night was no different from any time I have seen him live.

As he played time stood still and when he talked he talked like any of of us would in the same situation. He speaks with truth and he feels with his heart and for that I am truly thankful

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To David Worthington – I can not thank you enough. The gift of sharing music crosses the boundaries of copyright and ownership and dollars and corporations that promote the artist. It is about the gift of giving to someone an outlet or voice that they may of had, have or wish to have and I can only speak for myself but I truly believe that when Ben Harper plays music the world hears his songs.

It is one of those albums that you love due to the fact that all songs can stand on there own and as a whole it is a treasure of an album. The lyrics in some of the songs have spoken to me like only a few other artists have been able to accomplish, feelings shared with strangers. Even though “Soul Meets Body” is the single I have to say the line “if the silence takes you, I hope it takes me too” just spoke volume to me and hit very close to home. “Someday you will be loved” is another example of how the lyrics can both soothe and sadden one’s self all at the same time. I applaud singer/guitarist Ben Gibbard’s attempt throughout the album to give volume to all spectrums of feeling while still being a little aloof.

“I will follow you into the dark” is a song that reminds me of learning catholic hymms in school when I was young. By no means is that to reflect any religious connatations – just a feeling I got which was a stance by not standing.

Overall I love this album and I tell all the people I can about them, almost like the newly converted. It always excites me when I can listen to an album and on first listen love it then …….I will love it for ever. No need to grow on me it was at first listen. Thank you DCFC for creating