Music |
Both Sides of the Gun
Ben Harper
By
Published: Jan 01, 2006
Category:
Rock
Both Sides of the Gun
Ben Harper
There are those who know Ben Harper and love him, and then there are those who haven’t heard him. I don’t think there’s any middle ground when it comes to Ben Harper — nobody who knows his music doesn’t love him.
Harper has been around since 1994, but I didn’t discover him until There Will Be a Light, a gospel collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama. The songs sound like classics; the shocker is that Harper wrote them. And, apparently, lived them. As he has said, "Before the Blind Boys, I used to sing. With and after the Blind Boys, I may have become a singer."
Now comes ‘Both Sides of the Gun,’ a two-CD release. Nothing is more daunting to a music lover than a two-CD package; you hope you’ll get something groundbreaking, like Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Electric Ladyland,’ but what you usually find is something ragged, undisciplined and desperately in need of a butcher with a sharp knife. Not here.
Harper opted for two CDs because it seemed foolish to mix, as so many do, the slow songs and the fast ones. He had enough music for 30 minutes of each, so he simply divided the songs into categories: "soft" and "hard." Each has its charms, but the slow side is the one that currently haunts me.
But then, a cello always has me at hello. And the very first sound on the soft side is a cello, then more strings. The song is about a new day and a fresh start. Harper sings it in a thin, reedy voice — it’s as if he just woke up. I go to the gym first thing most mornings; this is the music I want to hear as I step outside. It’s a deep breath of mountain air, a double shot of hopeacinno.
As the soft side continues, Harper explores all the shades of intimacy. Regret. Shame. Eagerness for reconciliation. And, at the end, he makes a sweet transition from morning. It’s a lovely song cycle, equal to the best of Nick Drake — sincere to a fault, delicate, and, at the same time, manly in the extreme. If you’re male, this music makes you want to be more emotionally available to the people in your life, especially the women; if you’re a woman, you’re going to dream about Ben Harper.
The "hard" CD — which comes at no extra charge; I feel like I’m selling Ginsu knives here — delivers on its promise. It’s reminiscent of classic Curtis Mayfield. It has a groove and, even better, it has a point of view. It starts with Indian instruments, segues into chanting and makes a right turn into screaming. You’re on notice: Some righteous anger follows. Like:
Don’t speak to us like we work for you
Selling false hope like some new dope we’re addicted to
I’m not a desperate man but these are desperate times at hand
This generation is beyond your command
Harper wrote that a few weeks after Katrina. It’s accusatory, but not heavy-handed. Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye would have been proud. And if the first CD is great for the walk to the gym, the hard side is great for cardio. Get emotional; get stronger. Two CDs for the price of one. A great deal. Much more useful, I’ll bet, than Ginsu knives.
To buy ‘Both Sides of the Gun’ from Amazon.com, click here.
