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Ben Harper: By My Side

Virgin

Ben Harper’s always been an artist with many sides. He can coo you to sleep, raise your gospel spirits and get you rocking—all on the same album. That’s why his recent career-spanning
retrospective By My Side is a bit misleading. Here, we’ve got 12 hushed Harper tracks that paint the musician as this generation’s Cat Stevens. It’s the truth, but not the whole truth. Still, with a few obvious exceptions (the devastating “Another Lonely Day,” from Fight for Your Mind, among others), By My Side is as a lovely collection of Harper’s best campfire-folk lullabies, including fan favorites “Diamonds on the Inside,” “Forever” and “Gold To Me.” The only new offering is “Crazy Amazing,” a lazily beautiful love song. Strung together, these tracks create what could’ve been a great, if one-toned album. And on that note, By My Side is better than a greatest hits package, where songs are grouped simply by popularity. Though these songs span nearly 20 years, they all belong right here.