Diamonds

For the two of you out there who don't already know the story; Ben Harper grew up in his grandparents guitar shop playing and building guitars and was raised by his music fanatic, guitar-playing mother. By the age of 18 Harper was well on his way to getting a record deal and becoming the modern poster boy for the slide guitar.  

Pushed by his auxiliary good looks and coercive voice, Harper's pseudo-hit/drug anthem, "Burn One Down," helped him find his audience while opening for Dave Matthews. Although Harper's never managed to hit it big, he has managed to build up a very loyal pack of followers whose multitude should lock up another suitable selling album with Diamonds on the Inside.

Harper's previous album, Burn to Shine, contained the slight genre experiments "Suzie Blue," "Steal My Kisses" and "Burn to Shine;" all of which were surprisingly effective and helped the album become one of 1999's few shining moments. Subtlety aside, Harper's experiments on Diamonds aren't always so effective. The funk-driven "Bring the Funk" and "Brown Eyed Blues" both throw Diamonds out of whack and will likely only suffice as mood enhancing concert tunes. Harper's hard rock experiments, "Temporary Remedy" and "So High So Low," give credibility to his Led Zepplin T-shirts but don't hold a candle to his previous rocker, "Please Bleed." Harper's affection for African rhythms are best displayed on "Blessed to be a Witness," which stands as one of the albums best tracks; the same can't be said for "Picture of Jesus," which challenges the funk fiasco for greatest mishap. Aside from the wah-guitar homage to reggae simplicity "With My Own Two Hands," Diamonds stays on track with Harper's previous releases for the remainder of the album. "Amen Omen" is the lone classic moment on Diamonds and best sum's up Harper's possible new direction of Christian themes and string-propelled compositions.

In Danny Clinch's documentary film about Harper, Pleasure + Pain, Harper implies that his first four albums were the initial stage of his career and that he is now starting over with a new attitude towards music. Harper also talks at length about how he considers his image and how it will play into his longevity. As of now, 10 years into his career, Harper still doesn't have a set place in rock music; he's still just the cognizant guy with the cool hairstyles. Seeing an established artist like Harper maintaining the spirit to keep searching is impressive, however. If Harper wants to secure a place in the history of cute rockers he's going to have to excel at some point by putting out a focused album played entirely in his own voice rather than in that of his influences. Also, a cheesy hit wouldn't hurt, I'm looking at you, Jack Johnson.     6/10

Written by G. William Locke