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.

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"!

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.

This is an AMAZING CD! I didn't think I would like Ben Harper and a friend let me borrow their CD. I didn't want to give it back as I liked this CD so much! It is amazing the music flows with the lyrics; and the music is groovy with different things done with his voice. But, it works! I am amazed at how diverse this CD is also. It has sounds that everyone will like. My favorite one was Diamonds On the Inside the title track but, after listen to this CD it is amazing. I love every song and it is in high rotation all the time at my house and in my car and anywhere else I can play it! This song is for anyone who loves music as I think you will enjoy it.

This album is great!!!!!Ben Harper has assembled a great all-aroung album. Every song is completely different than the one before, each individual song is good by itself. A must have for Ben Harper fans, and a "definate" must have for people just looking into his music!!!