From the first bass note within the driving drum beat you can tell something is different about the new record from Nikki Lane. The backbeat feels like a gutsy strut while the lead guitar feels like a revved up engine shifting gears. Denim & Diamonds comes out firing, spit shining the cowboy boots and tossing on a jean jacket.
Produced by Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Denim & Diamonds has the Highway Queen embracing a more rock-oriented sound while still maintaining the heartfelt outlaw country sound she has developed across her previous three releases. Denim & Diamonds still has the fuck-off flare of which Nikki has come to be known. Her stylized, story-telling lyrics are all there as well as her catchy country hooks. The outlaw country sound is now balanced out with a gritty guitar and a machine gun snare that echoes the sound of 70’s rock.
Nikki Lane has made a record that sounds new and old. Familiar and surprising. She embraces where she has come from, (“First Highâ€, “Born Toughâ€) the lessons learned along the way, (“Good Enoughâ€, “Try Harderâ€) all while doing things her way, (“Denim & Diamondsâ€, “Black Widowâ€).
Side A:
First High
Denim & Diamonds
Faded
Born Tough
Try Harder
Side B:
Good Enough
Live/Love
Black Widow
Pass It Down
Chimayo
