Ben Harper performs in studio

California singer-songwriter Ben Harper likes to stretch. He's popular with the jam band crowd, he's recorded gospel with the Blind Boys of Alabama, and he's worked with indie-favorite Beth Orton.

St. Paul, Minn. — His seventh CD, Both Sides of the Gun, is an ambitious double album. Political, guitar-driven tracks make up the first CD while quieter, more personal songs dominate the second CD; he attacks the slow reaction to Hurricane Katrina by the government in one track and talks about laying in bed after being kept up all night by a newborn in another.

Songs performed: "Waiting for You," "Morning Yearning," and "Don't Talk About Murder While I'm Eating."

Guests

• Ben Harper