 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2019) |
| Both Sides of the Gun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 21, 2006 | |||
| Studio | The Boat Studios, Silver Lake, California | |||
| Length | 63:51 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Ben Harper | |||
| Ben Harper chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   link |
| Rolling Stone | link |
Both Sides of the Gun is the seventh album by Ben Harper, released in 2006. Split into two discs, the title suggests the two sides of Harper's musical persona.[1] The first disc ("White") is made of mostly acoustic and string-driven songs hinted at on the last track ("She's Only Happy in the Sun") of Harper's previous album Diamonds On the Inside. The second disc ("Black") is made up of the more rock-oriented material and touching on genres such as hard rock, funk and gospel.
A number of tracks were inspired by the political climate in the United States, particularly "Black Rain". The song criticizes President George W. Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina, proclaiming, "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."[1]
The first disc opens with the ballad "Morning Yearning" and moving on to the Nick Drake-influenced solo guitar confessional "More Than Sorry" and the sentimental closer "Happy Everafter in Your Eyes", an ode to Harper's wife, actress Laura Dern.[1]
The second half of "Both Sides" delves into a variety of styles, from the Black Crowes-style rock track "Get It Like You Like It" to the blues of "The Way You Found Me" and the largely instrumental jam "Serve Your Soul" that closes the album.[1]
The album saw Harper playing the majority of the instruments on both discs; an approach that he had rarely used on his previous albums. However, his band, Innocent Criminals, would appear on a few tracks, while his later band, Relentless7, would appear together for the first time on "Serve Your Soul", the last track on the second disc.
The album became Harper's first US top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, peaking at number seven.[2] As of April 2007, it has sold 126,000 copies in United States.[3]
- ^ a b c d McClean, Craig (19 March 2006). "Two 'Sides' Of Ben". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ "Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Pélican, Mélanie (21 April 2007). "Ben Harper passera à Paris cet été". Charts in France. Retrieved 23 January 2019.