Ben Harper went old school on his latest album in more ways than one. Not only is the two-CD set “Lifeline” filled with gospel, ‘70s Motown-funk influences, but Harper recorded his latest album over a seven-day period using a 16-track analog tape machine. The LP starts with a note from Ben, who boasts, “no computers or pro-tools were used anywhere in the process.”

Ben wrote the lyrics to all of the songs, and he and his band members wrote all of the music — a feat that is, lamentably, growing far too infrequent in the music world. The CD package includes a DVD of a live performance of the 11 songs on the CD, further proof that Ben and his crew only need a mike and an amp to showcase their raw vocal and instrumental talent. Harper produced the album, too.

The band recorded the album just after finishing nine months of touring in Europe, trying to capture the six-man group’s fine-tuned musical tightness and chemistry — the group practiced every day during sound checks while on tour. “It just makes sense,” Harper wrote about the timing for the album. “You’ve got all your best equipment [on tour], and our musical abilities are never as sharp or as heightened as when you’ve been consistently on the road.”

From the man who brought us the folksy “Steal My Kisses,” the reggae “Burn One Down” and the poppier “Diamonds on the Inside,” Harper’s eighth studio album also packs a range and fusion of sounds. The album opens with the thoughtful and unhurried “Fight Outta You,” which leads into a keyboard-heavy, danceable “In The Colors.” “Needed you Tonight” is an explosive, soulful song about living with a broken heart, while “Say You Will” is an up-beat, gospel-meets-funk song, complete with female back-up and a call-and-response chorus.

“Put It On Me” is also a quirky and quaint throw-back ‘70s R&B song about a beautiful spendthrift: “She eats nectarines with honey/ spends her daddy’s money so easy/ she cuts cherry pie/ while she looks you in the eye/ so easy.” He finally realizes, “I was lost out in the desert while/ you were busy swimming in wine/ You put it on me/ then left me lonely.”

“Heart of Matters” is a pleading, affecting song about unrequited love in which Harper sings, “I wish I could find a way/ to sing the life back into you and I/ but now I am afraid/ it is just too late to lie.”

The disc ends with Harper and his guitar onstage alone — the hypnotizing and exotic “Paris Sunset #7,” a slide guitar instrumental, flows into the title track of the album, a slow, contemplative song about hope. Harper says that life is too short to wait but changes the last chorus affirmatively, singing “I could hold out for a lifetime/ yours or mine/ yours and mine/ can’t you see me reaching for/ your lifeline.”

Harper’s vocals are natural and evocative and vary as wildly as the influences on his album, which rises with energy, settles to a slower, folksier tempo and rises again into an upbeat funk number. The album is short, only 40 minutes long, but each song is well-crafted, deliberate and expertly executed — Ben can sing, and his boys sure can play. “Lifeline” has a rare, immediate sound that’s almost under-produced, overflowing with honesty and sincerity. Every song has its charm, and together they form a powerful, moving album that’s worth a listen and a watch.