Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals - Number 3 (Live Recording)

So I have this stack of CDs that I haven’t touched in years. They are all discarded, scratched, and collecting dust, unappreciated and for the most part are complete shit. These are albums and blanks that have either been given to me or I was foolish enough to have bought at some previous time in my life. Once in awhile, just once in awhile, I pick up a CD without looking at who it is and bring it with me before a long drive, forcing myself to rediscover some type of beauty in these relics and bores. Sometimes listening to an album front to back can change your view of the content, looking at the entire message or story as a whole, as opposed to just listening to the tracks one by one, looking for instant gratification. 2 days ago, on my way out the door, I grabbed Live On Mars, which is a 2 disc live album by Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals circa 2001, an album that I really didn’t even appreciate back when I bought it. Ben is without a doubt, and amazingly talented musician and vocalist, but it just didn’t do it for me. However, in the spirit of respect (he took the time to make it, I can take the time to listen to it), I ran it full circle and was beyond amazed by one song specifically, titled ‘Number 3′. It’s an acoustic track with very minimal variation throughout, yet it is gorgeous and makes me want freestyle sing, which I did, and will continue to do every time I hear it. Originally the song was (take a guess) third into Harper’s 1997 album The Will To Live. Anyone familiar with the original will notice that this live version is nearly a minute longer. Ben is currently touring his most recent album Lifeline that was released last August.