Diamonds pales to other Harper work

Diamonds are indeed precious commodities, and as the title of the latest Ben Harper release suggests, there are some gems on this album. But after an initial perusal, most seem surprisingly inconsistent in comparison to previous works. The first adjective that comes to mind is experimental, as Harper delves into several types of music on Diamonds. Reggae, delta blues, southern rock, synth funk and African influences are found throughout the record. Some tracks, such as the infectious, funky "Brown Eyed Blues," benefit immensely from the arrival of keyboardist Greg Kurstin. Kurstin's keyboard work, along with the respectable musicianship that Harper and his Innocent Criminals consistently bring to the table, provides the fullness necessary to cover for what is essentially sub-par songwriting for a talent like Ben Harper. Many of the songs follow simple blues patterns, relying on Kurstin and others (including orchestral arrangements) to fill out the sound. Other times, Harper just goes a little to heavy on the distortion and on his signature vocal and slide guitar wails. With the exception of about half the tracks, Diamonds On The Inside manages to come through with enough enjoyable music to signal that Harper is continually evolving as a performer and a musician.