Ben Harper Unveils New Single ‘Black Beauty’
By Scott Bernstein Jan 12, 2021 • 7:34 am PST
Photo by Jacob Boll
Ben Harper today shares “Black Beauty,” an original he wrote for the 2020 film Black Boys. The documentary profiles the deep seeds of racism and celebrates the humanity, vulnerability and resilience of Black men and boys.
The release of “Black Beauty” follows Harper’s 2020 LP, Winter Is For Lovers. While Winter Is For Lovers consists solely of instrumentals, Ben sings his heart out on “Black Beauty.”
“It was an honor to have been asked to write a song for this culturally vital documentary,” Harper stated in a press release. “After watching Black Boys and discussing it in depth with [director] Sonia Lowman, I went immediately to work on composing ‘Black Beauty.’ I am old-school and still love getting players in a room together, so a production of this scale during a pandemic was challenging, with quarantine.
“I was fortunate that the incredible musicians in my circle have taken it upon themselves to become circumstantial recording engineers, and thanks to modern recording technology and some FaceTime sessions, I was able to work by sending tracks back and forth over the Internet,” added Ben. Black Boys can be streamed for free via Peacock.
Listen to Ben Harper’s “Black Beauty” below:
