Ben Harper, “The Will to Live,” (***)

Virgin. On his third record, Harper plugs in and turns up the volume, delivering potent, rowdy jump-blues tinged with reggae, gospel and willowy folk. Hardly a one-trick pony, the singer pushes the boundaries of his style with the stunning standouts “Homeless Child” and “Widow of a Living Man,” the latter a chilling song about spousal abuse. Drenched with soul, charged with politics, it’s electrifying.

*

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).