Leagues Above The Musical Mainstream
Ben Harper is of the old-school vein of songwriters, he melds the grooves of blues, rock and jazz into his music, and lays down a lyric sheet brimming with wit, passion and protest. He sits as well amongst his contemporaries; the Ritters, Rouses, Gearys and Masons, as he sits amongst the legends and greats; the Dylans, Jaggers, Drakes and Youngs...
Both Sides Of The Gun comprises the two extremes of his songwriting, his hard-edged rock and rock 'n' roll and his quiet and sensitive craftsmanship, a disk for each. It is full with great songs that embed themselves in your head and invoke thoughts and feelings you'd be hard-pushed to get out of many other current records. He can conjure a tune seemingly as if it's the most natural thing in the world; he has a way with moulding a beautiful ballad that's reminiscent of a slow Keith Richards-penned Stones' track like 'This Place Is Empty' and pulling it off just as well, 'Cryin' Won't Help You Now' being the perfect example of this; it's a beauty that leaves you thankful to the heavens for this talented songwriter.
There's plenty of hope on this record, as well as plenty of protest and dissatisfaction. 'Better Way' is one of the best songs on the album, a prayer of sorts coming from a deep-rooted belief in a better way, it's a campfire track that's musically built like Primal Scream and The Beatles in their later years getting together and creating a shining Eastern-influenced soul-jerker.
'Please Don't Talk About Murder While I'm Eating' is an awesome track, on which Harper employs the style of Willy Mason's songsmithship and uses it to great effect. Title track 'Both Sides Of The Gun' is absolutely brilliant, his voice sounding as strong as any of our old time heroes, and his words being just as seminal and meaningful too, "Politics, it's a drag, they put one foot in the grave, and the other on the flag...". And that's as good as anything you're going to get. He's goes from that electric Dylan/The Band style of rocking it to a quiet Will Johnson/Ray LaMontagne-like smoothness that grabs you by the tear ducts, 'Morning Yearning' is just pretty and sad and fulfilling and wholesome, as can be said of 'Reason To Mourn', he's a really great songwriter, no more need be said. He's a great musician too, as 'Sweet Nothing Serenade' proves.
Yes, Ben Harper's Both Sides Of The Gun is a really substantial accomplishment by a musician who is leagues above the majority of the musical mainstream. He has a pretty unique voice alongside some of the greatest songwriters we've seen in music in years, he stands out and makes himself heard, delivers his opinion unashamedly on world events, makes a stand, and makes a truly significant sound whilst he's at it!