Reviews
Ben Harper
Both Sides of the Gun
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Add to del.ico.us.Review Date: 2006-03-26
I am a Ben Harper fan. This is the first album that I’ve reviewed for TWM that I have not had to do a single bit of research for. Though this may sound like a declaration of bias, and therefore a reason to doubt the objectivity of anything I have to say about this album, please keep in mind that, like Dan, I have been disappointed by a large amount of Ben’s material. However, few artists have the presence and charisma of Ben Harper. He is a special one for sure. Despite (relatively) limited commercial success, it is impossible to ignore the influence he has had on the music industry, and the respect he has earned from his peers through out his career.
There is an obvious comparison, and that is Bob Marley. However, to me, he is much more akin to Miles Davis. Specifically for the reason that Ben Harper is a phenomenal guitar player, an amazing singer, and has soul coming out of every orifice in his body. It is rare that he lets his real chops shine; in the same way that Miles Davis never “wanked” a trumpet solo in his life, the same could be said of Ben and his guitar work. It is all about the feel.
That being said, Miles, Bob, and Ben have been guilty of putting out disappointing albums, and it is arguable that the real contribution all 3 have had has only been apparent once one has been able to step back from it all and see the entire body of work as one album. This is not to say that neither Bob Marley, nor Miles Davis ever put out a completely solid and consistent work. Both had their masterpieces. Now Ben has his too.
Until this album, I would have said that Ben Harper suffers from the self-dubbed “Red Hot Chili Peppers disease”- putting out albums of largely forgettable material, while at the same time backing them up with strong singles. Singles that are so good as to warrant continued attention.
Both Sides of the Gun is not this kind of album. Drawing on the flavors of all of his previous efforts, Ben has put together an album that is at times raw and hard, almost cock-rockish, and at the same time chilled out and melodic-with his trademark of recording his quieter work with just his acoustic guitar- and even at times redolent with the feel of a greasy jazz bar quartet.
This is, in my opinion, the only album on which Ben has allowed his back-up band, The Innocent Criminals, to shine all the way through- with relatively little material being left only to Harper himself. In fact, only one song features only Harper without the band, and that is “More Than Sorry”. And even on this track, there is layered guitar work… though minimal.
Enough. I want to get through two low points of this album before I allow myself to rant on and on about how amazing this album is.
Low point #1- This album is not a significant departure from Ben Harper so far. This may or may not be a bad thing. My own opinion is that while it is not a departure, Ben has tried his hand at so many different musical genres and feels that it is almost impossible for him to go somewhere he hasn’t gone before, short of pulling a Kid A on us, which is largely against his spiritual beliefs anyways, and so would be a bit of a selling out. However, for people who have had trouble getting into Ben before, it may still be hard for them to get into him now. That’s their problem.
Low point #2- Okay, I decided this too wouldn’t pose much of a problem for Ben Harper fans either. That is, lyrically, Ben likes to preach. He hates the way people treat each other, and he wants you to know it. Myself, I agree whole-heartedly. So, screw you “He’s too preachy” bastards, because it’s so much better hearing your own ideals satisfied in new and soulful ways than it is to hear albums dedicated to self-loathing. I won’t mention names here.
Okay. That’s enough. Here we go.
I’ve been discussing “Better Way”, the lead single(which actually starts the second disc of this effort), with Dan for about a week now. He and I both agree that this is one of the strongest singles, if not the strongest, that Ben has ever released. The song is at once reminiscent of the Beatles on songs like “Tomorrow Never Knows”, however, with a far funkier bass player than Paul McCartney could ever hope to be, and this: after an amazing slide solo, followed by a rolling funk bass line, layered with a chorus of Bens, we enter the verse again with Ben screaming at the top of lungs: “Reality is sharp/it cuts at me like a knife/Everyone I know/is in the fight of their life/ and I believe there’s a better way./ Take your face out of your hands/And clear your eyes/You have a right to your dream/and don’t be denied/I believe in a better way” And then the drums start beating the shit out of themselves. The fact is, this song is as intense as Ben Harper has ever been, and it’s an energy we have been missing since Fight For Your Mind.
The second disc features this kind of dynamic more-or-less throughout, following up with a P-Funk inspired title track that features a bass-line that would do “Bootsy” Collins proud and a lyric that leaves most of us nodding as much as the funkiness of the track itself does. “Politics, it’s a drag/they put one foot in the grave/and the other on the flag/System’s rotten to the core/young and old deserve much more/than struggling everyday until you’re done/oh this tension/is too much to mention/when you’re livin’ on both sides of the gun.”
As this disc goes on-and I mention it first because of the fact that the single is featured on it- we are treated to a voyage through raw and edgy funk(title track, Black Rain), almost AC/DC-ish cock-rock-with-message(Engraved Invitation) Huddie Ledbetter-ish delta blues(Gather ‘round the stone), old-school rock and roll that makes us think very strongly of Chuck Berry(Please Don’t Talk About Murder While I’m Eating, Get it Like You Like it) to echoes of Nina Simone and Billie Holliday(The Way You Found Me ) and finally the very Ben Harper flavored bluesy epic, Serve Your Soul. All of course, laced with trademark Ben Harper passion, intensity.
With this kind of menu, the second disc is easily worth the asking price of a single album. However, you are also treated to the “bonus” of the much more mellow first disc.
From the start of the first disc, with “Morning Yearning”, we are treated to another of Ben’s trademarks: the so-chilled-out-almost-heartbreaking- whispery vocals, and romanticism that is rare in modern love tunes. This disc follows much more of Ben’s romantic side, thus making the double disc idea a good one, depending on whether you’re feeling more angry or romantic. The difference between this disc and other efforts that feature Ben’s sensitive side is the maturity of both the lyrics and the arrangements, which are spectacular.
The standouts on this side also include “Picture In A Frame”, a more nostalgic venture- fit for anyone who likes to reminisce on past lovers- “Never Leave Lonely Alone”, another one of those sparse Ben Harper arrangements featuring largely guitar and piano and not much else.
This disc also features a rarity- an instrumental (Sweet Nothing Serenade) that features Ben at his softly-played-slide-guitar best.
Ending the disc off with “Happy Ever After In Your Eyes”, a ballad that makes use of the I’m-a-better-man-with-you theme, is a perfect touch. It makes the first disc as much of a journey as the first one. And that makes this album really two different albums for the price of one. And for this, we say, “Thank you Ben Harper.”
Rating: 8.8(8.0 for the first disc, 9.5 for the second, rounded up)
Songs To Hear: At least, for those who don’t know if they’ll like it, I’ll pick some to give you an idea, but this album is great, and these are largely only my favorites: “Better Way”, “Both Sides Of The Gun”, “Please Don’t Talk About Murder While I’m Eating”, “Morning Yearning”, “Reason To Mourn”, “Never Leave Lonely Alone”… you get the picture.
Score: 8.8
The only thing “wrong” with this album is… well, if you don’t like Ben, you won’t like this album. But that’s only true if you have a problem with his sentimentality, which I do not at all. The lyrics are strong, the energy is fantastic, and there are not really any weak songs, just songs that are not as good as others(Though they are all found on the first disc). And these I will not mention because at that point it largely becomes a matter of taste. Ben Harper fans will love this album, whether you like his whisper-quiet side, or his raunchy-rock-it-out side. And his band is never over nor underused on this album. And a plus: It also features Ben’s best lead guitar work in a long time, so-much-so that you can easily hear his Jimi Hendrix influence for perhaps the first time on one of his studio albums. A masterpiece. Buy it.
- Bobwell Gaines