Review by Greg Maki
Everything was looking up for Diamante. Signed to Better Noise Records, the Boston-raised and Los Angeles-based Mexican-Italian-American singer released her debut album, “Coming in Hot” (read Live Metal’s review), in 2018. The same year, she joined Bad Wolves on the single “Hear Me Now,” which went to number one at rock radio. The following summer, she was on her biggest tour to date, playing amphitheaters with Breaking Benjamin, Chevelle, Three Days Grace and Dorothy. Her label abruptly dropped her mid-tour, but Diamante soldiered on, mounting a nationwide headline run on her own in late 2019 and releasing a steady stream of singles to bring us to 2021 and her second album, the independently released “American Dream.”
Teaming once again with veteran producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Halestorm, Kelly Clarkson) and also bringing in Neil Sanderson of Three Days Grace fame as a co-producer (Judge & Jury Records), Diamante shows with “American Dream” that for those with the proper team in place, record labels are almost irrelevant in today’s music business. The album boasts a bigger, richer sound than “Coming in Hot,” with less of the glossy studio sheen that sometimes marked her debut. It feels more rock ‘n’ roll even though the pop sensibilities are still in place. The Joan Jett worship remains strong, but Diamante has forged enough of her own identity at this point that it never comes off as merely derivative. With attitude-filled rockers (“Ghost Myself,” “Wake Up Call,” “Serves You Right”), biting anti-love songs (“Unfuck You,” “I Love Myself for Hating You”), moments of vulnerability (“Unlovable,” “Hopeless”) and a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls hit “Iris” (featuring Ben Burnley of Breaking Benjamin), the basic Diamante formula is unchanged; this is just a sharper version of it.
“American Dream” is as good as—or maybe even better than—the album Diamante made with full label support behind her, and that’s the best possible response from her. Thanks to her own hard work, Diamante’s star— and future—is as bright as ever.
Rating: 8.5/10
Independent release – May 7, 2021
LINKS:
Pre-order/pre-save “American Dream”
www.thisisdiamante.com
www.facebook.com/thisisdiamante
www.twitter.com/diamanteband
www.instagram.com/thisisdiamante
