Nikki Lane Denim & Diamonds (CD)

(New West) 10 tracks - digisleeve

From the first bass note in the driving drum beat, you can tell something is different on Nikki Lane's new record. The back beat feels like a bold bow, while the lead guitar sounds like a revved up engine shifting gears. Denim & Diamonds comes with fiery cowboy boots and a denim jacket.

Produced by Joshua Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), the Highway Queen has turned to a rockier sound on Denim & Diamonds, while still maintaining the heartfelt outlaw country sound she has developed on her last three releases. Denim & Diamonds still has the fuck-off flair Nikki is known for. Her stylized, storytelling lyrics are there as well as her catchy country hooks. The outlaw country sound is now balanced by gritty guitar and a machine gun snare that echoes the sound of '70s rock.

Nikki Lane presents an album that sounds new and old at the same time. Familiar and surprising. She shows where she came from (First High, Born Tough) and what she learned along the way (Good Enough, Try Harder) while doing things her own unique way (Denim & Diamonds, Black Widow).