Ben Harper has teamed with renowned harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite to create Get Up!, a piercing song-cycle of struggle and heart, slated for release by Stax Records/Concord Music Group.

Recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Harper, Get Up!, is his 12th studio album and first new recording since 2011’s Give Till It’s Gone (Virgin). A striking mix of blues, gospel, roots and R&B, Get Up! features ten vivid musical character studies, skillfully rendered in cinematic detail, all written or co-written by Harper.

Charlie Musselwhite’s searing point/counter-point harmonica accentuates Harper s vocals throughout Get Up!, tying its songs together into a cohesive musical whole. The band, including Jason Mozersky, guitar; Jesse Ingalls, bass; Jordan Richardson, drums; along with Ben Harper on vocals, guitar and slide guitar; plays with economical grit, lending the songs true understanding and authority. In 1994, Ben Harper released his first record Welcome to the Cruel World, marking his arrival as singer and songwriter of substance and ambition. Two decades later, an artist in full creative command, he s delivered an inspired work of purity and depth. Get Up!, the new album from Ben Harper with Charlie Musselwhite, is sure to be one of 2013 s most essential recordings.