Both Sides of the Gun

Free advice: The only thing accomplished by separating your album into a “soft” side and a “hard” side is making both sides sound duller. The Foo Fighters proved it with their last effort, and now Ben Harper fails to take heed. Much of the soulful, folksy material on disc one is first-rate, but the pace really drags. Disc two benefits from a little more variety (angry funk, gospel-tinged rock), but the bottom line is Harper would be better off throwing both sides together on shuffle.