Entertainment Weekly (3/21/03, p.112) - "...Harper and his Innocent Criminals segue from reggae to rock to funk to blues and even gospel with terrifying ease..." - Rating: B-
CMJ (03/17/03, p.6) - "...With Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley still living in equal parts in his music on DIAMONDS ON THE INSIDE, Harper offers one of his most diverse collections of songs yet..."
Vibe (5/03, p.162) - 3 out of 5 - "...Harper was one of this musical generation's original Sensitive Men....Harper's still conscious and refusing to fit into the mold of Top 40 music..."
Mojo (Publisher) (4/03, p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Possessed of an eerie high voice and quasi orchestral virtuosity on the Weissenborn lap slide acoustic guitar, Calfornia-born but Delta-dreaming Harper has a coat-of-many colours soul..."
E! OnlineOn his gem of a fifth studio album, Ben Harper proves Diamonds are a music lover's best friend. The talented singer-songwriter and slide guitarist bounces around the musical spectrum, delivering folk-rock jams, haunting gospels (one of which is backed by Ladysmith Black Mambazo), reggae riffs that reek of Bob Marley--and even a few touching ballads. At times, he's guilty of doing his best Lenny Kravitz impersonation ("Temporary Remedy" or "So High So Low"), banging on the guitar or filling songs with too much percussion and other busybody elements. But those moments pass relatively quickly, and he slips back into his stripped-down, socially conscious self--and that's when Harper truly shines.
