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.