Both Sides Of The Gun - Ben Harper

Virgin Records
2006

Ben Harper is a sexy, stylish and original talent. He is also a sexy, stylish and original man. Great combination.

This album contains 2 CDs; one faster paced and one acoustic, and the contrasts emphasise his ever-growing complexity as an artist. You know when you attend a Ben Harper concert or purchase some of his work that no matter what mood he is in, or whatever the chanson populaire, you will get a sincere and top quality showcase of his talent.

The more upbeat CD is titled “Better Way”. Few artists can effectively combine straight forward rock, blues and soul into one sound, but Harper has the knack of getting the balances right more often than not.

At times it seems like he is showing off a little instead of actually immersing himself in his music, and as his critics like to point out, there are many obvious influences within his sound. I agree that there can be a fine line between an influence and “sound borrowing”, but in my opinion Harper never fully crosses that line.

Highlights from “Better Way” include the heavily blues and funk flavoured “Please don’t talk about murder while I’m eating”, and the Hurricane Katrina inspired “Black Rain”. The lyrical quality is extremely high, and contains both humour and insight. He is a clever artist that can express his thoughts within the music he creates.

The title track is another standout, as is “Better Way” with its driving percussion.

The other CD, titled “Morning Yearning”, is a combination of slower and more ballad-like pieces. There is a lot of basic guitar and vocal sound, which at times works superbly, especially with “Never leave lonely alone” and “Crying won’t help you now”.

With other tracks though, it tends to run a little dull and there are a couple of skip worthy songs which as a Ben Harper fan I found disappointing. “Waiting for you” is almost boring for instance, and that hurts me to write.

Another negative is that the total combined time for the two CD’s runs a little over an hour. Why couldn’t the two CD’s be put together onto one disc? There are a few songs which could have been chopped to accommodate a tight and high quality one disc album. I guess artists will be artists.

If you have been a Ben Harper fan in the past, this album will not disappoint you. It contains enough quality and fresh appeal to keep him moving forward as a performer, and there are several songs that you will listen to again and again.

If you are new to Ben Harper, perhaps start with some of his earlier work and build up to this album. Especially find his version of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” to get an appreciation of what this man is about, and what he is capable of.

He is a seriously talented performer, and has cut out his own corner of the industry that is distinctly his.

OVERALL RATING: B+