DIAMANTE – Coming In Hot (2018)

We have been presenting several singles from young female rocker DIAMANTE. Today’s time for the full length CD, “Coming In Hot“, some kind of ’80s Pat Benatar / Joan Jett rock-n-roll with a modern 2018 sound.
Diamante strikes me as a genuine up and coming artist who lives and breathes music. To her benefit, she has also been given time to write and develop her sound as opposed to rushing an album out for immediate release.
It also helps that her style is definitely not the mainstream flavor of the month but embraces both the past and the present rock scenes.

“Coming in Hot” roars to life with the title track on a classic ‘80s sounding guitar riff and provides an awesome introduction for the album. The chorus is designed to be permanently etched into the brain and playing in concerts and at sporting events in arenas and stadiums for years to come.
‘Sound of Us’ follows as a modern rocker with several effects in the music allowing Diamante to showcase a gritty rock voice as well as use plenty of melody when needed.

I really like the guitar riff in ‘Had Enough’, where there is more space in the mix providing some very nice use of dynamics. I got myself singing this one in my head when the album is not playing and really enjoy some of the subtle backing vocals in the back of the mix.
‘F.L.A.G.’ serves as another solid anthemic rocker with a strong hook designed to have crowds singing the chorus before the end of the song.
‘Sorry’ changes the tempo and clicked with me right away as a modern ballad that will likely garner her some significant radio play. Diamante sings with passion, and I really like the moments here where she pushes her voice within the context of the song.

‘Haunted’ turns the tempo back up with an enjoyable rocker that adds a great dynamic between the pre-chorus and the chorus. There is something about this track that reminds me of what would have happened if you had taken ‘Slave to the Grind’ era Skid Row out of that time period and placed them here. There is a great raw quality to the vocal in the chorus.

‘Sleepwalking’ slows things down at first with a softer feel transitioning to a hard rocker up through the chorus. There’s a great guitar work by Trev Lukather, son of Toto’s genius Steve.
‘Bulletproof’ opens up the second half of the record in style as a great rocker with Diamante again packing her vocals with attitude, confidence, and swagger.
‘Kind of Love’ would have the P.M.R.C. coming down on her back in the ’80s, but this is just another example of Diamante showing confidence in herself which is refreshing. The hooks here are massive as well, and this song is quickly establishing itself as a favorite of mine.

The Heart classic ‘Crazy On You’ comes next and leaves me with mixed emotions. I like that she added a modern feel to it so it does not feel like a straight cover, and Diamante shines vocally here which is a testament to her talent. At the same time, this is not one that is going to draw me to the album and would have made an excellent quality B-side in the past.

On ‘Definitely Not in Love’ Diamante does spoken word vocals in the verses adding some great levity to the material, perhaps a modern version of ‘Babylon’ by Faster Pussycat. It hits the sweet spot for me, especially where it is placed on the album.
‘War Cry’ provides some heaviness with lots of modern effects added to the music which turn it very modern and serves the song very well. ‘Lo Siento’ ends the album with a Spanish version of ‘Sorry’ with Diamante sounding excellent singing in Spanish.

Diamante has released an excellent debut album that will gain old-school and young listeners in equal parts. It’s modern rock / hard rock but with an ’80s sense for the melody, avoiding the brickwalled sound of current American Radio rock and giving room tho the music to brathe, with great dynamics and musicality.
Diamante musical development in the years to come will be interesting to watch, and I think there is the possibility she creates a landmark album at some point in her career.
Meanwhile, “Coming In Hot” is more than a promising, infectious start.
Highly Recommended

01 – Coming In Hot
02 – Sound of Us
03 – Had Enough
04 – Fight Like A Girl (F.L.A.G.)
05 – I’m Sorry
06 – Haunted
07 – Sleepwalking
08 – Bulletproof
09 – Kind of Love
10 – Black Heart
11 – Crazy On You
12 – Definitely Not In Love
13 – War Cry
14 – Lo Siento

BUY IT !
www.amazon.de/Coming-Hot-Diamante/dp/B07C5NSSWZ
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