Ben Harper - Diamonds on the Inside
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Free Music Notes for Diamonds on the Inside
Free Music Review: Zirconia on the inside
Hit: 1 Stars
To refer to "Diamonds On The Inside" as the most blatant false advertisement ever would not be out of line if it wasn't for Ben Folds Five's "Rocking The Suburbs". There are as many diamonds on this release as there are people properly rocked by the other, equally limp wristed and unnecessary Ben.
Is it any surprise that the only highlights on this CD are provided by Ladysmith Black Mambazo? None whatsoever.
Any person not devoid of sense, taste and intelligence will be shocked and dismayed that someone with this little talent is taken seriously enough to be compared to Dylan.
He, along with fellow bed wetters Jack Johnson, Ben Folds and The Shins are exactly one step removed from the bark eating James Taylor. If that's your cup of tea go on and take a swig, but you've been warned.
Free Music Review: Inconsistent v Eclectic
Hit: 2 Stars
If Ben Harper was a better artist, his music would be called "eclectic". His 2003 release, Diamonds on the Inside, experiments with nearly as many genres as there are songs.
The album begins with a reggae song, "With My Own Two Hands", which is probably the best track on the album. The second song, "When It's Good" is an upbeat acoustic slide number that ends up being OK, but not much better than that. He continues the acoustic theme (but this time with a fuller sound) with the title track that begins, embarassingly enough, with the following lyrics: "I met a girl/her name was Truth/she was a horrible liar". The first time I heard this song, I grimaced, and asked someone who it was.
"Ben Harper," the person said. "Isn't he awesome?"
I knew of Ben Harper, and remembered some of his earlier songs, which I recalled to be politically-charged numbers. This, I thought, really sucks. So when my sister bought the album for the US equivalent of about nine dollars new, I thought I'd give Ben a chance and see if he could redeem himself. He didn't.
"Touch From Your Lust" (ugh) is the fourth track on Diamonds, and begins the third (or maybe fourth if you really want to be specific) distinct genre change on the album. "Touch" is a hard rock power ballad, with interweaved psychedelic overtones and even more crappy lyrics: "Scars on your back /tell where you've been/ButI'll roll like the ocean/If you'll blow like the wind/Sweet Texas angel/What have your blue eyes seen/I'll be your country gentleman/If you will be my Mason Dixon queen".
We move on to "When She Believes" which switches into French romanticism mode, complete with accordian, harp, and celeste. The rest of the album is a mix of funk, hard country-rock, and one song, "Picture of Jesus", that utilizes an African chorus and is probably runner-up to the intro track. Not a bad song if you don't listen to what he says. (Not that I have anything against Jesus.)
A few years ago, I heard someone praising Lenny Kravitz, saying that "he writes all his own songs, and he plays his own instruments--that's more than I can say for Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys." Right, so because he writes his own songs and plays his own instruments, he's supposed to be allowed a higher threshold of crappiness or something? The same people who are willing to give Lenny props for writing his own music are probably in the same bracket of those who would do the same for Ben. They shouldn't. Crap is crap, and it shouldn't matter whether it was put together by studio suits, professional songwriters, or the artists themselves.
Ben Harper is good music for sixteen-year-olds who want more than what's being played on the radio. Diamonds on the Inside can be used as an introduction for that same age group into something different than what they're used to, even if it's not necessarily any better.
Free Music Review: Disappointing listen.
Hit: 2 Stars
Ben Harper is much hyped but after taking the plunge and listening to this album I was very disappointed. Harper's thin and whiny voice is probably the worst aspect, but the songwriting is insipid and repetitive, the arrangements standard off-the-shelf fare, and the lyrics trite. I'm sorry, but Harper is another derivative sound-alike and lacks the talent and originality to interest me. I'll give him a second-star for the admittedly competent musicianship, however.
For all those complaining about the copy protection of the CD, I borrowed it from a friend and ripped it to MP3 using MusicMatch 10 with no problems whatsoever - in fact I only became aware of the copy protection much later while reading these reviews.
Free Music Review: killer
Hit: 5 Stars
ben is tha mannn!! this guy really has soul! one of my current favorite artistes! altho fans new to harper shuld probably start with "fight for you rmind"!Free Music Review: Ben continues to blow me away...
Hit: 4 Stars
When I listen to this cd, and Ben Harper in general, I think its probably how someone in the 60's felt listening to Bob Dylan, or in the 70's listening to Bob Marley. Everyone of Ben Harper's songs tells a story, and it never gets tedious. Its also refreshing to hear spiritual themes, without being hit over the head with a message. With My Own Two Hands, Diamonds, Brown-Eyed Blues, and Amen Omen are examples of this using vastly different styles.
The only downside to this is that Diamonds on the Inside is kinda all over the place, it doesn't quite flow together like his previous works. I am glad though that Ben isn't getting complacent. This is a great transitional album. I kinda compare it to Pearl Jam's No Code. By experimenting on this album and on his new one with the Blind Boys of Alabama, I'm sure fans like myself can expect a lot more great songs from Ben Harper for a long time to come.