'Denim & Diamonds' by Nikki Lane
At her best, Nikki Lane sings Americana as if it’s easy and natural for her—the way Stevie Nicks sang “Landslide,” the way Bob Dylan sang “Buckets of Rain,” maybe even the way Jeff Tweedy sang “Watch Me Fall”—and, on her fourth album, Denim & Diamonds, she is often at her best.
Her main partner in this naturalism, which she’s earned through experience, is Josh Homme: producer, co-engineer, primary mixer, and guitarist. While Homme brings in Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Alain Johannes—all current or former members of Queens of the Stone Age, the masterful modern-rock band that Homme nominally leads—he never overshadows Lane.
Or he knows better than to try, because Lane’s vocal confidence seductively commands front-and-center attention, whether she’s fiercely reminiscing about “501 blue jeans/Tighter than goddamn Springsteen” in “First Time” or sweetly settling for moments of love “tiny as a splinter” in “Good Enough.”
The other players do get to shine: Johannes and Homme boldly ink the melodies with their acoustic and electric guitars, Matt Pynn adds pedal steel that keeps its twang away from melodrama, and Autolux drummer Carla Azar showcases her timekeeping skills without showing off to the detriment of the songs.
Those songs, all written or co-written by Lane, deserve that rooted, intelligent instrumentation rather than virtuoso playing. The title track has the pop-rock swing of the Cars’ earlier years, “Black Widow” thumps and swaggers like the Raconteurs on their best day, and “Chimayo” carries the desert-wind scent of doomed border-town romance a la Calexico.
In combination with Homme’s unintrusive contributions, Lane’s steady and varied songcraft gives Denim & Diamonds a crispness that’s almost as mainstream-ready, and certainly as ear-catching, as the work of Kacey Musgraves or Sheryl Crow. Lane seems easy and natural, yes, but she’s also a strutter.
