First of all, this review will not address the actual MUSIC on this disc, which is up to Harper's usual platinum standard of songwriting and musicianship.

No, this is intended to be a warning that this CD has been laced with copy-protect technology that prevents those who paid for it from making MP3s and whatnot. It also prevents you from even listening to the disc on a computer except by using an extremely low-quality proprietary player that limits the quality to just 48 kbps -- about what you'd get from AM radio.

I own hundreds of CDs, and while my buying has slowed in recent years as family commitments and other interests take precedence, I still buy one or two discs a month. This is the first I have run across that does this. I am stunned. I bought a portable MP3 player about two years ago, and use it for all my on-the-go listening. With a baby in the house I can't even listen to much music on the home stereo. Ben Harper is perhaps my favorite modern artist, and I am furious that EMI/Virgin have carried out this underhanded assault on consumer fair use rights.

A page on the Web site of Virgin Records America confirmed the CD has been booby-trapped. A feedback form on their site did not work. I hope others are as outraged as I am and put some effort into tracking down how to voice displeasure.

I have every one of Ben Harper's Albums, and I can honestly say that "Diamonds on the Inside" does everything but disappoint. From the opening "With My Own Two Hands", Harper hits you with a rythmic reggae beat, ultimately making one feel that he/she too can change the world. One of my favorites on the album however is "Brown Eyed Blues". With a funky beat that even James Brown would appreciate, this track is ideal for a "Friday night before the bar pump up session". Harper's spirituality, welcomed and respected, is beautifully conveyed through songs such as "Picture of Jesus" and "Amen Omen", as well as "When She Believes".

Ben Harper is truly one of the best singer/song writer/musicians in this day and age, and it's a shame that he recieves no where near the acclaim that he has proved he deserves. While he may lose some fire in the studio as compared to the live stage, Ben Harper takes one on a funky, spiritual ride, with Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix ever present in the rear-view.

As a fan of Ben Harper's work from the get go this one was highly anticipated but ownership has proved a struggle.

It kickoff with a cracker 'With my own two hands' which is as reggae as Harper's ever been. With the title track and 'Touched by your Lust' it's a strong start.

Past that it's a struggle. Sure the bloke can play and play with passion. And there's no shortage of that. It's just that the latter half of the disc is melodically monotnous for my liking.

I suspect the bloke is exploring grooves and themes that he feels he needs to but he lost me with this one. So far. I'll keep working on it but I'm not too hopeful.

Overall it is an interesting development in Ben Harper but not one I'd wholey recommend especially if you are new to Harper. Start with 'Fight for Your Mind' and 'Burn to Shine' or even the live album. Leave 'Diamonds on the Inside' for another day.

The other superbly painful thing about this CD is the copy control software. A decent hifi player will have no real trouble with it but if you use a computer to play music, this CD (and most other Virgin CC efforts) sounds repellant. Unbelieveably it sounds even worse when you use the media player that is included in the disc. I don't object to the CC concept but truely this is a godawful effort at it.

I second the comment from M. S. Hillis. The copy protection on the new ben harper cd means I won't be buying it. Further, if you go to the virgin website and try to leave feedback your message is not accepted. I guess that explains why they never get any complaints...

I simply hope this is not a problem that will occur with all virgin releases - if it is, guess I'll have to listen to different labels.

this album is damn good despite the negative reviews. it spans such a wide variety of genres. you get reggae, blues, country, funk, hard rock, and folk. i believe this album has two of ben's strongest tunes in amen omen and blessed to be a witness. the lyrics to amen omen in the tradition of walk away and another lonely day perfectly capture the pain of lost love, plus its got a ben wail that will rip your heart out. ben just knows how to capture real emotions is his music. blessed to be a witness is one of ben's many spiritual tunes. it speaks of living life to the fullest despite the greif and the pain. the only low point on the album is when she believes. this song is great lyrically, but is the victim of what happens all to often on ben albums, the symphonic touch cheeses the song instead of enhancing the emotion of the tune. all though not as good as fight for your mind this album is much better than the crap on top 40 radio. other key tracks: with my own two hands, when its good, diamonds on the inside, brown eyed blues, shes only happy in the sun.