Independent – 2021
Throw all the notions of that dreadful term, “sophomore slump” out the window, because rising artist Diamante has made a statement with American Dream. Now with a new album in her arsenal, she’s here to stay for a long, long time. The Boston-raised and LA-based, sapphire-haired singer-songwriter has been through many trials and tribulations that led her to this point in her storied music career.
First things first, let’s backtrack to her 2018 debut offering Coming In Hot, which is pretty much in the name, because she did exactly just that. That particular album landed her top spots around the rock radio world with songs like “Hear Me Now,” which had her collaborate with hard rock favorites Bad Wolves, and the massive standalone hit “Haunted.” It was such a big step for her, and with knowing how successful this debut album was, Diamante felt the pressure. Spoiler alert, she was up to the challenge. What’s the saying, “Pressure Makes Diamonds?” Welp, here you have it.
Three years later, with now releasing the new album independently while having renowned producer Howard Benson working alongside her, Diamante was able to express her most personal moments, stories, flaws, hopes, desires, and redemption in a way she has never been able to in the past. American Dream is most like a metaphor for her own personal aspirations, and a testament to her craft. To put it more straight to the point, it’s getting to that level of realizing what she desires to accomplish and actually getting the job done. This is an album that’s real, pure, and from the heart – and might I add, it’s one that’ll be sure to get your head and body moving in the crowd.
American Dream has it all. The first four tracks titled “American Dream,” “Ghost Myself,” “Serves You Right,” and “Obvious” – take you right into the world of the hard rock and alternative breeds of music that Diamante incorporates into her impressive compositions. Not only that, but the sense of growth, passion and musicality were there, especially within her vocal techniques. Exactly, what sophomore slump? Reading lyrics are one thing, but to be delivered in a particular emotion is something Diamante has definitely conquered, which gives it the impact it really needs. Listen to “Serves You Right” and tell me I’m wrong. From the music production, the booming basses and the heavy metal-inspired guitar melodies, it is really a full well-rounded start to the album. But wait, it gets better.
Things do slow down on the ballad-like emotional song of “Unlovable”, and that gives the album an element of a diversified sound; At the same time, the tune is a well-timed breather before it picks back up with the next three tracks of “Wake Up Call,” “Unfuck You,” and “I Love Myself For Hating You.” What I really took in so far up to this point is that each track complements one another so well, and it really shows how well crafted out the track listing was. Momentum and flow is an important element in my perspective, and that is achieved remarkably on American Dream.
Now to my personal favorite. I grew up listening to bands like Goo Goo Dolls, and when I knew that Diamante covered the song “Iris” along with Breaking Benjamin’s frontman Ben Burnley, I had to listen to it for myself to see how this was executed. Here’s the thing, covers can easily be mistreated, especially when it comes to a revered song from the 90s and it just so happens to be a song that raised you, so to speak. Diamante, from what I have seen and heard, felt the same way – and she and Ben Burnley did the song justice. I’ve heard many covers within many songs, and this one is right up there. There is a fine line between keeping things true to it’s nature and bringing your own modern mix into that particular world, Diamante has done that with “Iris.” The album then transitions into it’s heartfelt pair of closers “Hopeless” and the acoustic version of “Obvious,” which again, these two songs showcase her vocal abilities on another level – giving American Dream a proper sign off.
She’s been called the “…heir to Joan Jett” by many in the hard rock world. And even though it’s an honor for Diamante to be mentioned alongside a rock legend like Joan, she’s already making a name of her own. This record had me realize that staying true to yourself can open up countless pathways for a person, and as long as the passion is there, the goals that were set out in the first place come around tenfold to achievement – and this is a perfect demonstration of that. In today’s world (or any, for that matter), this is an album we need. It doesn’t matter if you have that California heart, an East Coast state of mind, or that Tennessee blood, American Dream will be sure keep the adrenaline and intensity burning within that passion. The rock and roll world is in good hands with the rising prominence of Diamante.
Our Score 8.5/10
– Reach Sonny, the author of this review, at rezablade@interviewunderfire.com.
Tracklist
- American Dream
- Ghost Myself
- Serves You Right
- Obvious
- Unlovable
- Wake Up Call
- Unfuck You
- I Love Myself For Hating You
- Iris
- Hopeless
- Obvious (Acoustic)