Ben Harper, equal parts blues, rock, and folk musician, joins his mother, Ellen, on this folk album. Childhood Home paints the portrait of a family’s life—hard, painful, loving, and sacrificial. It’s also an album rooted in a place, their portion of Southern California.
Songs explore the heartbreak of broken marriage and nostalgia for more pristine landscapes. At the same time, a fierce love for family is palpable in “Born to Love You” and “How Could We Not Believe.” The acoustic songs are spare, even sparse, instrumentally, highlighting the beautiful blend of mother and son’s voices.
A lovely, melancholy meditation on how hardship, love, and life have shaped this musical family. (Prestige Folklore)
