[01] The Three Of Us[02] Whipping Boy
[03] Breakin' Down
[04] Don't Take That Attitude To Your Grave
[05] Waiting On An Angel
[06] Mama's Got A Girlfriend Now
[07] Forever
[08] Like A King
[09] Pleasure And Pain
[10] Walk Away
[11] How Many Miles Must We March
[12] Welcome To The Cruel World
[13] I'll Rise
amg: 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.
(amg 6/10)
