Ben Harper is all about fusion. For 15 years, the California-born artist has combined funk, blues, rock, country and gospel to create a sound that is unique and always distinctly him. It is no surprise, then, that Harper’s latest album, despite a new backing band, does not stray far from the familiar.

On hiatus from his long-time backers, the Innocent Criminals, Harper joined with Austin-based outfit Relentless7 to record “White Lies for Dark Times” over the summer of 2008.

The album represents Harper’s ninth studio album and may very well be his most rock-oriented. The 11-track set opens emphatically with the solo-heavy “Number With No Name,” featuring Harper’s characteristic slide guitar work and gospel-influenced vocals. After that, the record never slows.

Accompanying the Grammy-winner, Relentless7 — made up of guitarist Jason Mozersky, bassist Jesse Ingalls and drummer Jordan Richardson — provides a loose, bluesy backdrop as persistent as their name would suggest.

This pace, however, often seems a bit too hurried for Harper’s typically mellow vocals. On the album’s first single, “Shimmer & Shine,” Harper seems pressed to keep up with the Texas threesome, racing through his lyrics without pause or his trademark falsetto. This is a shame, considering the artist’s proclivity for writing weighty and culturally relevant lines.

In “Shimmer & Shine,” he sings, “Bring me the music for the revolution / It puts my mind at ease, to know / We’re the problem, we’re the solution / The cure and the disease / But life is trying to force me / Force me to trust / I’ve done all I can / I do what I must.”

“White Lies” does, however, contain a few gems, including “Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart),” in which Mozersky contributes some heavily distorted and memorable solos, matched in intensity by Harper’s rousing vocals. The final track, “Faithfully Remain,” is, likewise, among the album’s high points as an acoustic-driven track that allows Harper to take center-stage as singer-songwriter.

If there is one thing missing from “White Lies,” it’s the radio-friendly singles that have marked each of his previous efforts with the Innocent Criminals. There is no “Better Way” or “Steal My Kisses” on this latest set, an absence that likely stems from Relentless7’s fast and slack style, which doesn’t lend itself well to pop hooks.

Even without the Innocent Criminals, Ben Harper is a one-of-a-kind musician whose genius can’t help but shine through. He will be among the headliners at Sasquatch! later this month and is sure to give Gorge-goers their money’s worth.

Reach reporter Joe Darda at arts@dailyuw.com.