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Burn to Shine
Studio album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
Released	September 21, 1999
Genre	Alternative rock, blues rock, soul
Length	54:29
Label	Virgin Records America
Producer	Jean-Pierre Plunier
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals chronology
The Will to Live (1997) Burn to Shine (1999) Live from Mars (2001)
Singles from Burn to Shine
"Please Bleed" Released: 1999 "Burn to Shine" Released: 1999 "Forgiven" Released: 2000 "Steal My Kisses" Released: 2000

Burn to Shine is an album by Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, released in 1999 on Virgin Records America. Harper's fourth album, it shows him working within many different genres, including blues, rock, soul, and folk. The songs "Steal My Kisses" and "Suzie Blue" became successful on college radio. Like most other Harper albums, different versions were released in different regions within varying bonus material.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Pitchfork	6.0/10
Rolling Stone
Spin	7/10

The Washington Post wrote that "while the songs are seldom as interesting as the album's textured instrumental weave, Harper deserves credit for trying to break free of the cliches that have a stranglehold on the blues." Entertainment Weekly considered the album to be "mostly made up of leaden rootsy excursions." The Hartford Courant wrote that the album tackled "an overload of musical niches." Trouser Press called Harper "a thinking man's Lenny Kravitz".

Track listing

All songs written by Ben Harper.

1. "Alone" – 3:58
2. "The Woman in You" – 5:41
3. "Less" – 4:05
4. "Two Hands of a Prayer" – 7:50
5. "Please Bleed" – 4:37
6. "Suzie Blue" – 4:29
7. "Steal My Kisses" – 4:05
8. "Burn to Shine" – 3:34
9. "Show Me a Little Shame" – 3:44
10. "Forgiven" – 5:17
11. "Beloved One" – 4:03
12. "In the Lord's Arms" – 3:06

Personnel

Musicians

• Ben Harper – guitar, vocals
• Richard Barnes – washboard
• Bruce Bishop – guitar
• Jim Bogen – clarinet
• Eve Butler – violin
• Dean Butterworth – drums, snare drums
• Jon Clarke – English horn, oboe
• Joel Derouin – violin
• Tyrone Downie – keyboards
• Michael Fay – banjo
• David Firman – bass guitar
• Matt Funes – viola
• Suzie Katayama – cello
• David Leach – percussion
• James Leigh – trombone
• David Lindley – banjo, fiddle, mandolin
• Juan Nelson – bass
• Real Time Jazz Band
• Nick Rich – human beatbox
• Eric Sarafin – piano, harmonium, recorder

Production

• Producer: J.P. Plunier
• Engineers: Eric Sarafin, Dan Steinberg
• Assistant engineer: Dan Steinberg
• Mixing: Eric Sarafin
• Mixing assistant: Steve Gamberoni, Geoff Walcha
• Mastering: Dave Collins
• String arrangements: Suzie Katayama
• Art direction: J.P. Plunier
• Design: Tom Dolan, Mike King, J.P. Plunier
• Photography: Annalisa
• Illustrations: Mike King
• Research: Ben Elder

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "Ben Harper | Biography & History". AllMusic.
2. "Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals Burn to Shine (Virgin)". www.austinchronicle.com.
3. "Burn to Shine - Ben Harper | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
4. "Burn to Shine [with the Innocent Criminals]". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
5. Berger, Arion (October 1, 2003). "Burn To Shine". Rolling Stone.
6. "Reviews". Spin. November 12, 1999 – via Google Books.
7. Joyce, Mike (November 5, 1999). "Ben Harper" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
8. "Burn to Shine". EW.com.
9. McGarity, Neal. "Burn to Shine – Ben Harper". courant.com.
10. "Ben Harper". Trouser Press. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
11. "Australiancharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
12. "Ultratop.be – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
13. "Lescharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
14. "Charts.nz – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals – Burn to Shine". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
16. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
17. "Ben Harper Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
18. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2000 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
19. "Canadian album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
20. "French album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
21. "New Zealand album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
22. "American album certifications – Ben Harper – Burn to shine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 January 2019.

• Ben Harper albums
• 1999 albums
• Virgin Records albums