Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

Warning about the CD, not the music!

M. S. Hillis | Lynnwood, WA | 03/21/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, this review will not address the actual MUSIC on this disc, which is up to Harper's usual platinum standard of songwriting and musicianship.No, this is intended to be a warning that this CD has been laced with copy-protect technology that prevents those who paid for it from making MP3s and whatnot. It also prevents you from even listening to the disc on a computer except by using an extremely low-quality proprietary player that limits the quality to just 48 kbps -- about what you'd get from AM radio.I own hundreds of CDs, and while my buying has slowed in recent years as family commitments and other interests take precedence, I still buy one or two discs a month. This is the first I have run across that does this. I am stunned. I bought a portable MP3 player about two years ago, and use it for all my on-the-go listening. With a baby in the house I can't even listen to much music on the home stereo. Ben Harper is perhaps my favorite modern artist, and I am furious that EMI/Virgin have carried out this underhanded assault on consumer fair use rights.A page on the Web site of Virgin Records America confirmed the CD has been booby-trapped. A feedback form on their site did not work. I hope others are as outraged as I am and put some effort into tracking down how to voice displeasure."

Its ooooh so good...

Jesse J. Morris | Huntington Beach, CA | 04/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As my non catchy title states this album is very good. It's good to see Ben with a new release out. It has been almost 4 years since his last studio release. I can say that the wait was definitely worth it. Ben makes his usual genre jumps all over the record. Its amazing how he (and the IC's) are able to pull this off. So anyway I'll give a brief description of the songs.With My Own Two Hands - First single, reggae, reminds me of one of Ben's influences Bob Marley overall 8/10When its good - acoustic bluesy type song, very good tune. Ben busts out the acoustic slide on this one. 10/10Diamonds On The Inside - great song, remind me of Elvis Costello. 10/10Touch From Your Lust - Nice effects on the guitar, got the Leslie (listen to Hendrix's Angel) effect going, straight foreward rock tune. 8/10When She Believes - Slow ballad type song, strings used, acoustic guitar - pretty good tune 9/10Brown Eyed Blues - The first funky sounding track on the album, pretty cool little bass line to this one. Nice little Bass solo on this also. I love this song. 10/10Bring The Funk - This is an all out funk track, but I don't really like it to much. 6/10Everything - another acoustic type song (has bass and percussion in it), bluesy feel to it, uplifting though - 8/10Amen Omen - my favorite song on the album. Well crafted acoustic song. Best song Ben has written in a long time. 15/10Temporary Remedy - straight ahead rock song. I think it needs to grow on me. 6/10So High So Low - This is the Led Zep song of the album. Gonna be a great live song. 10/10Blessed to be A Witness - Ben's voice is the highlight of this song. Mellow song. Beautiful. 10/10Picture of Jesus - Acapella type song, just percussion and vocals. Good song but I'm not really feeling it. 7/10She's Only Happy in the Sun - Ender of the album, is kind on weak to end the album on. I'm sure it'll grow on me. 6/10If you like singer/songwriters at least check Ben out. If you've never heard Ben before buy "Life From Mars" the double live set. First half electric, second half solo acoustic.Peace."

Diamonds throughout the album!

jjiggabyte | New York, NY USA | 03/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have every one of Ben Harper's Albums, and I can honestly say that "Diamonds on the Inside" does everything but disappoint. From the opening "With My Own Two Hands", Harper hits you with a rythmic reggae beat, ultimately making one feel that he/she too can change the world. One of my favorites on the album however is "Brown Eyed Blues". With a funky beat that even James Brown would appreciate, this track is ideal for a "Friday night before the bar pump up session". Harper's spirituality, welcomed and respected, is beautifully conveyed through songs such as "Picture of Jesus" and "Amen Omen", as well as "When She Believes". Ben Harper is truly one of the best singer/song writer/musicians in this day and age, and it's a shame that he recieves no where near the acclaim that he has proved he deserves. While he may lose some fire in the studio as compared to the live stage, Ben Harper takes one on a funky, spiritual ride, with Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix ever present in the rear-view."

"When it's good, it's so, soooo good, but..."

M. J. Kenoyer | Tampa, Florida USA | 04/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed Ben Harper's last solo studio release before "Both Sides of the Gun"; but it has a couple of flops that merited the 4-star rather than 5-star rating.

For one thing, I'm Ben Harper's age, and thus old enough to remember Paul Simon's "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes." This is the song that Ben Harper used to rip off, errmm, bring Simon's influence into "Picture of Jesus," which is a dreadful tribute to Simon's "Diamonds"; yet nowhere in the CD liner notes does Harper credit or even thank Simon for this influence--which, as a musician, I thought was kind of classless.

The other "misstep," as the original Amazon.com reviewer succinctly called it, was "When She Believes." I'm not sure if Ben Harper wants us to envision that we're on a gondola in Venice while this song is playing, but the corny "That's Amore"-esque violins playing in the background sure made it feel that way.

Now for the good stuff--standouts on this CD include the opening track, "With My Own Two Hands," which is akin to a beautiful prayer-cum-traditional reggae celebration of a song. "When It's Good" is sultry, sexy, bluesy, and minimalist all at the same time; and the title track, "Diamonds on the Inside," is soulful and loving in its tone while being masterful in its guitar sounds. "Brown Eyed Blues" and "Bring the Funk" are danceable and, well, wonderfully funky; and the eloquent "Blessed to Be a Witness" is a fitting almost-bookend for the opening number. Perhaps the most introspective, yearning song with a masterful blend of both piano and acoustic guitar is "Amen Omen," a passionate ballad. The two rock numbers, "Temporary Remedy" and "So High So Low", also don't disappoint.

So if you don't let the two sloppy tracks I ranted about, as well as the mediocre "Everything" and "She's Only Happy in the Sun", bother you, this is well worth the investment."

It can be a fight for your mind

Seano | Down Under | 10/02/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a fan of Ben Harper's work from the get go this one was highly anticipated but ownership has proved a struggle.It kickoff with a cracker 'With my own two hands' which is as reggae as Harper's ever been. With the title track and 'Touched by your Lust' it's a strong start. Past that it's a struggle. Sure the bloke can play and play with passion. And there's no shortage of that. It's just that the latter half of the disc is melodically monotnous for my liking.
The real sticking point for me is that it is lyrically far too stuck in the religous groove. I'm happy enough to have an artist get spiritual on me but not for song after song especially when a large part of it just seems to me to be 'wailing to Jesus'. And if you aren't of that mind (like me) then it gets seriously annoying.I suspect the bloke is exploring grooves and themes that he feels he needs to but he lost me with this one. So far. I'll keep working on it but I'm not too hopeful.Overall it is an interesting development in Ben Harper but not one I'd wholey recommend especially if you are new to Harper. Start with 'Fight for Your Mind' and 'Burn to Shine' or even the live album. Leave 'Diamonds on the Inside' for another day.The other superbly painful thing about this CD is the copy control software. A decent hifi player will have no real trouble with it but if you use a computer to play music, this CD (and most other Virgin CC efforts) sounds repellant. Unbelieveably it sounds even worse when you use the media player that is included in the disc. I don't object to the CC concept but truely this is a godawful effort at it."

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