Ben Harper: Both Sides of the Gun

Ben Harper’s latest, a two-disc album called “Both Sides of the Gun,� explores his various musical talents by blending his vocals with the guitar, drums, percussion, piano and vibes. Described as folk meets rock meets reggae, Harper’s album deserves a listen, or two or three. Having taken sole production responsibility for the album, this talented musician offers a ‘softer’ acoustic album and a ‘harder’ rocking album, each complete with strong images of light, and social activism, some even recorded on the first shot.

On disc one, “Mourning Yearning� kicks off with “the world awakens on the run/And will soon be earning/With hopes of better days to come/It’s a morning yearning.� New life, new hopes and new dreams provide him with a chance to learn and another opportunity to ‘get it right.’ He calls himself a “victim of the fall� but says “your love’s the warmest place the/sun ever shines.� There’s some folk religion involved in the lyrics of these songs but it’s certainly not pushy—the only pushiness in Harper comes out when someone else’s agenda seems pushed on someone helpless.

Harper is mellow for much of the first disc. First, he’s “Waiting For You� because only the other satisfies, then remorseful in “Picture In A Frame.� Joy and sorrow drive both “Never Leave Lonely Alone� and “Reason to Mourn.� Religion nudges his actions as he begs someone not to do anything that can’t be undone, offering to “remove the crown of sorrow which you have been adorned.� This Christ imagery points to pain inflicted by another on the wearer of the crown but may be self-inflicted as well. Harper wishes life would be embraced before dying forced that on the living in “More Than Sorry� and condemns negativity in “Cryin’ Won’t Help You Now.�

The final song of the first disc, “Happy Everafter In Your Eyes� refers us back to the sunlight of the first song and sends us toward the second disc. Here, light allows him to see everafter in the eyes of the other, as nature/creation reflect the love he’s come to know. This helps him become a “living sunset� in “Better Way,� where he begins to become more persistent: “what good is a man/who won’t take a stand/what good is a cynic/with no better plan.� He admits that reality is tough but argues for the pursuing of dreams because “I believe in a better way.� Harper’s movement toward rock speaks more strongly but his message’s emphatic delivery also works for me.

The listener is called to make a stand regardless of how low the standards set are in “Both Sides of the Gun,� and Harper admits that he still struggles to embrace the real in “Engraved Imagination.� He regrets some choices he’s made as the Lord’s servant and Satan’s pawn on alternating days, remarking later that he remembers the other from heaven. Something deeper is driving him even if he can’t quite put his finger on it, as he belts out angry diatribes in “Black Rain,� “Gather ‘Round the Stone,� and “Please Don’t Talk About Murder While I’m Eating� (most likely against the current administration and the war.)

More positively, Harper encourages the pursuit of dreams in “Get It Like You Like It� and the dangers that one faces in the world in “The Way You Found Me.� Here, he seems to be challenging a human lover or a higher power: “Take me as I am/Or leave me the way you found me.� He seems to be screaming that he’s doing his best so like him or love him, he can’t change! His condemnation finally seems directed at the church in “Serve Your Soul,� where he sings, “Battles over which direction to kneel/People reaching out to touch/But forgetting to feel/Daily breath shouldn’t be a daily penance/Is that what you believe/Or just a life sentence.� Harper knows something is being fought for, won and lost, and the battle seems more spiritual than anything else. He pushes the listener to search within themselves for what is true—and while not exactly screaming ‘organized church,’ the belief in the temple that each believer becomes stands this test.

Harper is a wonderful folk musician, and backs up his soulful voice with a wide variety of sounds. Thankfully, he’s got a wealth of message to go with the beats, and we can be blessed by his struggle and his triumphs. Listen in to “Both Sides of the Gun� and consider which end you’re on…today.

Staple: Of Truth and Reconciliation

Staple’s latest album, “Of Truth and Reconciliation,� bears the bold markings of a soldier at war, accompanied by an unspoken conversation with a young boy. These images are born out throughout the songs on the album, as the vocals of Darien Keim are joined by Grant Beachy’s drums and the guitars of Brian Miller and Israel. Bearing the wounds of wars fought and yet to fight, the band rocks a bold attitude that resonates throughout the album.

There is definitely a banner born by Staple, a mentality that drives them. In “Do or Die,� they reject the “elitist mob� and the fury with which they condemn others, probably even the band itself. The strong imagery of a man burned at the stake, guilty only of rejecting the crowd mentality, shows the consequences of ignoring the Eden-imaged serpent’s temptations. Staple’s attitude is do or die: they claim the truth for themselves, one they’ve felt “in His wrists.� There’s Christ imagery there—but not pressed too strongly.

The war itself is on the forefront of Staple’s collective mind. There’s a vow made to follow through, but the names have all been falsified in “Forging Generals.� They’re claiming the war—replacing generals who forge with forging generals, as in forging ahead! These new generals long to persevere but recognize their own faults, having fallen to hypocrisy and failing to be who they are meant to be in “Honor and Integrity.� “I know exactly what to do,� sings Keim, “I know exactly what to say. I believe every word—it’s just so hard to obey. Trojan horse full of big butterflies…� What an accurate criticism! Too often, we know what to do but fail to follow through, yet others honor us for the good they see.

The despair seems too much in “Gavels From Gun Barrels,� but Keim pulls it out through a “change of heart, repentant faith only count in mercy’s wake.� He admits that it’s not to his credit but for the grace of the other whom he sings too. This love, this grace, helps him hold on through the “Sound of Silence,� and pushes him to bless the little boy and girl sung to in “Black, Blue and Gold.� While we can imagine the hurts on these young people, we can recognize that the grace from before will heal the scars: “may angels guide your feet, little boy, toward the peace you truly seek.� Staple takes up the banner to carry it into battle, but the final destination is peace. Here too he admits his own responsibility in the problem—this blame cannot be completely passed onto others.

Staple gets more direct in “The Best of Times,� where these rockers acknowledge the only success they’ve found, having failed so miserably: “But this is where I find trust is for: crying tears of faith that God’s got something more.� This hope drives “The Day the Blind Revolted� and the peace desired in “Circles We Run.� Closing out the album in “Final Night,� the final challenge is not to other humans but to death: “There’s no fear in staring in death’s eyes. These are the defining lines when we prove that we’re alive.� This bravado isn’t fleeting—death’s personification makes it that much more conquerable—the war crosses the lines of time and space, life and death. Staple’s battle will last until kingdom come.

James Blunt: Back to Bedlam

James Blunt’s English, half-throaty, half-nasal tones can be heard all over the radio, thanks to his lyrics and diverse musical talents—the guy plays the guitar, keyboard, marimba and oh yeah, he sings! Checking out his latest album, “Back to Bedlam� sings to love and loss, and bears interesting Song of Solomon-type allusions to a relationship between a man and a woman.

In “High,� Blunt wakes to a beautiful dawn, desiring to see the other because he’d be lonely without them. The recognition that he is happiest with this other speaks to his own reliance on their relationship: “sometimes it’s hard to believe you remember me.� Already, I’m able to recognize the same sentiments we may have toward God—you mean I matter enough to be recognized individually by the God of the universe? Amazing! More interesting is Blunt’s question: “Do you remember the day when my journey began?/Will you remember the end of time?�

We descend momentarily with the radio hit “You’re Beautiful� that accompanies a rather strange music video, and precedes the goofy Cheech and Chong, “Wisemen� song. In “Goodbye My Lover,� he rather roughly ditches a lover but admits that “You touched my heart you touched my soul/You changed my life and all my goals.� From a spiritual standpoint, no relationship can be entered into or left without something being taken and something left behind. Relationships are eternal for better or worse, and Blunt’s transition from the beginning to the end of the song is dramatic. He closes by telling the ex-lover that he is hollow without her, but first admits, “I’d spend a lifetime with you/I know your fears and you know mine./We’ve had our doubts but now we’re fine./And I love you, I swear that’s true./I cannot live without you.� Once again, human or divine, this relationship has shaped him dramatically and cannot be forgotten easily.

Blunt longs to shake off the falsity that clouds his own image and his communication in “Tears and Rain,� to surrender his soul instead of running to avoid trouble and pain. He alludes to the character of Dorian Gray, a shape shifter from the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen who never stayed comfortable in one appearance but was forever changing. Blunt’s longing is to choose between Heaven and Hell, to save his soul, and overcome his fear. Like Nelson Mandela’s 1994 address, Blunt recognizes his fear of going unnoticed and being left alone.

His struggle continues in “Out of My Mind,� while both “So Long, Jimmy� and “Billy� represent stories that explain his fears. “The damage is done. The prodigal son is too late. Old doors are closed but he’s always mine. To relieve time in his mind,� sings Blunt. The fear that he has somehow driven himself by his own mistakes too far from peace and contentment drives him to sorrow. Blunt seems almost despondent—but “Cry� brings him back through introspective reflection. “I have seen peace. I have seen pain. Resting on the shoulders of your name. Do you see the truth through all their lies? Do you see the world through troubled eyes?� These questions are similar to the questions that one might ask God, reflecting on the good and evil done in His name, along with the perspective that He might share on how the world turns right now…

Finally, closing with what seems to be an anti-Bush song, “No Bravery,� Blunt has proven to be introspective and clever in the ‘pictures’ he has shared from his perspective. His sound will either work for you or it won’t, but his straightforwardness is to be commended.

Mainstay: Well Meaning Fiction

Mainstay’s “Well Meaning Fiction� is derived from the sounds of Justin Andersen’s vocals and guitar, Ryan Deyounge’s drums and Dan Ostebo’s bass guitar. Thankfully, their pursuits are talented and meaningful, even if they remain in the pursuit, without having yet seen the finish line.

In “These Pages,� Mainstay seeks to make what they know about truth open and obvious for all to see. As I’m acknowledging what I believe is a Christian faith in the band, I was struck by this line as well: “we tried to give you limits that you didn’t need.� As a wave of musicians claiming Christ for their own charges into a world rejecting Christian music as cheesy or meaningless for them, Mainstay has a message to share.

The past has too much hold on the band and its attitudes and hopes in “Yesterday,� where they recognize that the grass wasn’t really greener in the past. Instead, the pursuit of change in “This Could Be� reflects a desire to make better choices but acknowledging that what they say often betrays what they mean. “Some of the words I say are so naïve- forgive me,� Andersen sings, reflecting again in “Overnight on Nicolet� on what he realizes as he ages.

Their freedom is too much in “Take Away,� but “Danger� pounds home more fully that they need this other to take more control. “Running away is just a poor metaphor,� Mainstay proclaims, “because I’m never as far as I think.� I heard this weekend of the analogy that faith is like a climber’s rope: holding on, one acknowledges the beliefs, letting go causes one to forget and lose balance, but still the safety rope remains attached to your waist, as God doesn’t move away.

The self-titled track condemns a lukewarm message, and the praise granted to a short term emotional response. Mainstay wants more confirmation and less premature jubilation, and their “Down Silver Lake� song shows their desire to hear what the other longs to communicate (in musical terms.) Every time they long to listen, Andersen sings, it ends up being a monologue. Instead, “when the ideal fades I don’t want to complain, I just want to hear you sing.�

Seems pretty interesting to me, desiring the intimate direction from a higher power, and willing to let go of what control might look like in return for freedom. These guys aren’t old (even with their side derision about their age) but they definitely carry a maturity with them that shows in what they sing—and the music itself isn’t half bad either!

Death Cab for Cutie "Plans"

Death Cab for Cutie’s latest, Plans, serves up a melancholic but audibly pleasing sound that matches their thoughtful lyrics. The words and vocals of Benjamin Gibbard blend well with the guitar-playing of Nicholas Harmer and the drum-work of Jason McGerr.

Kicking it off with “Marching Bands of Manhattan,� Gibbard sings that he desires to show his love how beautiful Manhattan is, to have his love’s name sung in public, and dares to share the light of that love. He dares to say that their love will so abundantly pour out that it won’t matter which is half-full or half-empty, it will be overflowing! This love sonnet is followed by “Soul Meets Body,� another renaissance-like song desiring to “live where soul meets body,� feeling like new in a place where all his thoughts fit. There is a redemptive quality to his love, where he knows “our filthy hands can wash one another’s/And not one speck remains.� Like Jesus making us clean of our sins, we have the opportunity to forgive each other and help others heal—until not one speck remains.

“Summer Skin� and “Different Names for the Same Thing� express more temporal relationships, but “I Will Follow You In the Dark� returns to the deeper relationships of the first. “I’ll follow you into the dark/No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white/Just our hands clasped tight, waiting for the hint of a spark,� sings Gibbard. The belief in what death and afterlife might look like is cynical at best but it’s still hopeful in the end. One of the most clever images I heard in my latest batch of albums was that “if heaven and hell decide that they are both satisfied/And illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs/If there is no one beside you when your soul embarks/Then I’ll follow you into the dark.� How sweet is that? Gibbard’s theology is definitely impacted (and documented later) by the Catholic school upbringing that told him “fear is the heart of love,� but his belief was rather that there was NO FEAR in love—interesting that this idea is more Biblical, hmmm…. It’s still an interesting idea that heaven and hell would no longer be selective—wow that’s a whole theology paper!

Different co-ed relationships get some time in “Your Heart is an Empty Room,� with a subject who just wants to be in a relationship, any relationship, and “Someday You Will Be Loved,� a hopeful yet unremorseful message for a love previously scorned. Gibbard condemns his own nature in “Crooked Teeth,� continuing a depressing downward style. Here he says their former relationship was built on bad material, because “I built you a home in my heart with rotten wood and it decayed from the start.� That’s a rough self-critical evaluation but certainly applicable to some of our fleeting relationships. He continues to examine his own personality (head versus heart) and finds it wanting.

The album still gets more maddening though in “What Sarah Said.� Although the contents carry truth with them, I wanted so badly to interject some optimism into what Sarah thought! Here, Gibbard sings as someone sitting in a hospital watching someone else suffer, recognizing that plans look like prayers to Father Time. As the girl he loves dies, he says “I knew that you were a truth I would rather lose than to have never lain beside at all.� That’s tough but true for plenty of real relationships. Everyone around him is looking at the floor rather than the televisions, because as Sarah said, “love is watching someone die.� So, Gibbard asks, “who’s gonna watch you die?�

Much of the album is depressing, but it is rather thought-provoking too. And the listener to Death Cab has a choice: do you get drained by the reflection on love and loss, or do you reflect on the importance of what you have right now? Death Cab understands love—I just hope in the future that they can enjoy some hope too.

The Fray "How to Save a Life"

The gentlemen of The Fray rock well together in their album, How to Save A Life, and present thoughtful exploration of the many dichotomies that divide relationships and confuse us everyday. The vocals and piano are provided by Isaac Slade, the guitar provided by Joe King and Dave Welsh, and Ben Wysocki plays the drums. From start to finish, they have lots of questions that they’re willing to ask—and their not clear how many answers they expect spelled out for them.

In “She Is,� Slade longs for a girl who is “everything I need that I never knew I wanted/She is everything I want that I never knew I needed.� The differences bring them together and tear them apart, as well as provide him clarity while tearing out his heart. Ah yes, clear as mud! It seems that love in its many forms is a wonder to The Fray, and why shouldn’t it be? These guys are professing Christians who don’t want to be considered a “Christian band,� and here they are as young men exploring relationships in their confusing natures.

This confusion in relationships really seems to stem from their own lack of identity. In “Over My Head,� they’re looking for the truth as everything falls apart. “It’s coming down to nothing more than apathy/I’d rather run the other way than stay and see/The smoke and who’s still standing when it clears,� sings Slade. Admitting that he’s being outclassed, he lacks the initiative to make the right decision because failure looms large. This carries over into “How to Save a Life,� a tongue-in-cheek layout for the moves needed to prevent someone else from hurting themselves. It’s tongue-in-cheek because the directions are things we do that we shouldn’t when trying to help someone: offering to listen but really thinking of what to say, believing that you know better than person in the situation, never believe that person actually will commit suicide. The refrain reflects, “Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend/Somewhere along in the bitterness/And I would have stayed up with you all night/Had I known how to save a life.�

The criticism of ‘standard’ expectations continues in “All At Once,� a knock on romantic expectations that must be put aside to truly find love in relationships and “Far Away,� a reminder that the past resurfaces unless it’s been dealt with fully. Then it’s back to the dichotomy of relationships in “Heaven Forbid� and “Look After You.� In “Look,� Slade longs to derive some reassurance from a relationship, but he’s in a rush: “Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait/My heart has started to separate.� By the end he begins to recognize that he must allow for letting go if he wants to build that trust and gain something more than temporary.

After a few more lovesick insecurities, The Fray returns with “Little House,� a song about a girl who won’t share her pain with others, instead opting to try anything short of suicide. She cuts herself, scratching out what she wants to forget about and no one expects her to recover. Slade encourages her to look back through her childhood and work through it so that she can recover. Here, the band seems more willing to save a life!

The album closes with “Trust Me,� as the band is “looking for something I’ve never seen/Alone and I’m in between/The place that I’m from and the place that I’m in.� Slade recognizes that we can come and go, holding the world during our turn we don’t always recognize that we have a responsibility to take care of it. He sings that “If I say who I know it just goes to show/You need me less than I need you,� possibly alluding to their understanding of the Christian God. Still, the Fray is openly expressing here and throughout the album that they don’t have all the answers and nor do they understand everything.

I found their music ‘easy on the ears’ and their message to be refreshing—they didn’t claim to know everything but it’s still powered by hope and love.

Common "Be"

I had heard some good things about Common aka Common Sense and on my latest CD-spending spree, grabbed a copy of his album, Be. I found much of what he said to be thought-provoking so I’ll lay it all out there and hopefully generate a bit of discussion. I know my tastes usually lean toward “rock,� as has much of what has been reviewed here, but let’s take a look at a rap/r&b look through the eyes of this Chicago rapper.

Opening with the title track, Common raps that “I want to be as free as the spirits of those who left/I’m talking Malcolm, Coltrane, my man Yusef/Through death, through conception,/New breath and resurrection.� Wow, not a bad socio-religious start: inferring political and religious heroes, with art and creativity thrown in, Common is looking at the big picture. He continues with a desire to see the Lord rise, recognizing truth in the eyes of his child. His religious leanings are broad: he quotes Matthew 21:21 in the notes and closes out this album’s thoughts in the name of Jesus, Allah and the ancestors. So we know he’s steeped in socio-pluralistic religion but isn’t nailing himself down yet. Still, by the end of the title track, he wants the world to know he’s exploring the present for what it’s worth, and pushing aside any worries about the future.

With the help of Kanye West and the Last Poets, Common tells the story of “the Corner,� where as a city kid he grew up, knowing that the only way to get by was “on the corners, robbing, killing, dying/just to make a living.� This is a city apologetic from Common’s point of view, as the details of the street life drove them to “write songs about wrong cause it’s hard to see right/Look to the sky hoping it will bleed light.� This troublesome background could have been a final testament, but these men rap to show how the corner represented freedom, peace and politics that they now exhibit. There’s a dichotomy here between what they say the city represents and what they say they experienced there—it’s a dichotomy that will continue throughout the album.

“Go� is too explicit for my tastes but it’s explicitness is especially confusing in light of the following “Faithful� with John Legend and Bilal. Common raps “What if God was a her?/Would I treat her the same?/Would I still be runnin’ game on her?/In what type of way would I want her?/Would I want her for her mind or her heavenly body?� Interesting thoughts, definitely in light of any reading of Matthew 25’s proclamation by Jesus that “if you have done it to any of the least of these, you have done it to me.� Common may be on to something, but where does the previous song’s explicit and manipulative nature or the following (“Testify�) fit into that theology?

Common’s rap “Love Is� with Luna seems to speak to that discrepancy by remarking that love is beautiful but hard to see on the streets, where young men aren’t encouraged to love freely. Now, as an older man, Common raps, “If love is a place I’ma go again/At least now, now I know to go within/At times it can take you for a spin.� Here, his experience has softened him—as one who has seen a friend lying in a coffin dead may reflect on what is really important about life.

Getting back to more specific religious references, “Chi City� claims to rap with the passion of Christ without pushing a theological message that hurts others. “Real People� blends the city-kid upbringing with the religious theme: “Whatchu expect from one who smoke a joint with his mother/Anointed hustles in a fatherless religion/Through the pain wish they know that God was just teachin’/We want decent homes.� When confronted with breaking the law, Common raps back to the cops that they’re the “children of a better God searchin’ for better jobs.� So Common wants everyone to know God loves them—but pushing your own agenda to better yourself is okay? What happens when you end up on the short end of someone else’s free will? Common claims that some relate his life to Christ’s in “They Say,� because he’s sacrificed and been resurrected twice. Wow, definitely not short on confidence here, we’re using our artistic license well.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some good messages mixed throughout the album and “It’s Your World� certainly closes on a positive note. It’s a testimony to mistakes and to persevering, pushing positive achievements of some as reason for hope. Common raps that listeners should “be invited, be long-living, be forgiving, be not forgetful…be peaceful if possible, but justice always.� Urging others to be positive and filled with love, he later adds, “Be loved by God as God loved Gandhi and Martin Luther King/Be the last one of the 144,000, be the resident of that twelfth house/Be…eternal!� Common’s numerical allusion there can be taken a few ways but the main encouragement lies in the peaceful role models that he presents here.

Like it or not, Common’s raps are pleasing to the ears and there is plenty of message to unpack. It won’t work for everybody—and may vary from song to song, but this socially conscious rapper is on his way.

16 Blocks

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Bruce Willis)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

At first, I thought I was headed to an action flick with little substance and an over-the-hill Bruce Willis. I mean, Hostage was okay, but c'mon, he's not Die Hard cool anymore, is he? Then, I thought I could never survive if Mos Def continued speaking in his ridiculous voice as Eddie Bunker (think JarJar Binks only not animated.) But just when I was about to completely lose interest, I noticed something: 16 Blocks was about character development. And when characters develop—they change.

Jack Mosley (Willis) is an alcoholic, overweight, time card-punching loser of a cop, but his world is dramatically tossed on its head when he’s instructed to escort criminal-turned-informant Bunker (Def) to the courthouse. They are quickly intercepted by a gang of dirty cops led by Frank Nugent (Morse), Mosley’s former partner and a class A bad guy. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Bunker has information on these dirty cops and they want him dead. Nugent offers Mosley the opportunity to walk away—but Bunker will get two shots to the back of the head.

The dangerous situation drives the two men together but this isn’t an action movie. There are car chases, shoot outs, and excessively tense moments. Still, this is a movie about characters and character. Mosley’s character is more of a loser than anyone Willis has ever played, crusted over by years of the ‘blue wall’ and police corruption. Def’s Bunker is a loser whose life spent in prison hasn’t worn away his hope: he’s always looking for signs of the good that lies ahead and the unshakeable belief that people can change.

Bunker’s search for signs drives him into the present situation, and introduces him forcefully to Mosley, who records his electronic epitaph with “I was just trying to do the right thing.� Bunker sees Mosley as his savior, even in the midst of their trauma and apparent impending doom. Mosley sees Bunker as his savior—recognizing that bigger than life or death, his life’s meaning hangs in the balance, and that the goodness in Bunker has drawn him out of the murk. What does it mean to save then? I point to the savior Jesus Christ who set the example by teaching and doing—and that pattern is reflected back and forth in 16 Blocks. Saving yourself means saving others first—seems like a good plan.

And most excellently, the theme of redemption shines out from the city’s grey cloud. We can walk into the theater with the belief that we are stuck in our rut, hellbent on our own destruction or condemned by the choices of others. In a non-hokey, un-melodramatic way, 16 Blocks says ‘look at these guys, they’re so much worse than you are, and they changed!’ The film forces us to examine what it means to be willing to change because it seems that the ability is there, we just have to believe.

So finally, after salvation, and redemption, this movie is finally about faith. Faith in signs, faith in people, faith that in the end, good will triumph over evil as the truth comes blasting on through. I will guarantee that under the popcorn veneer, there’s a heart of gold in 16 Blocks, and you might come to believe that there is good in all of us.

— Overview