ALBUM REVIEW: Nikki Lane Returns With Hard-Won ‘Denim & Diamonds’
Maeri Ferguson
Posted On September 21, 2022
Nikki Lane needed a break. The grind of a road warrior like Lane is not for the faint of heart, and after the release of her third album, 2017’s Highway Queen, she wasn’t sure another go-round was in the cards. Still, she kept busy, continuing to play shows, collaborating with Lana Del Rey, and running her own vintage clothing business. And then came Joshua Homme, the frontman for Queens of the Stone Age, who helped Lane ease back into where she belongs: the spotlight. Denim & Diamonds is the reward after some healthy time off and a lot of seeds of songs that just needed more watering. And though it’s been a few years, the minute Lane’s smoky coo kicks in on the album’s rollicking first notes, it’s like no time has passed.
Denim & Diamonds isn’t reinventing the wheel, but a songwriter like Lane doesn’t need to. She knows what she can do, and this set is filled with all those tried-and-true elements of the best Lane songs. Her brash kiss-offs, lovelorn pleas, and plenty of that good old-fashioned American grit come out to play with producer Homme’s thrashing rock and roll sensibility — a deliciously satisfying combo. Nostalgia runs deep as Lane lyricizes all the things that have shaped her, right down to the Springsteen-inspired 501s, divine wisdom from Cher, and a rebellious spirit that’s followed her at every turn. Lane sings about doing life on her own terms in songs like the cheeky title track, “Try Harder,” “Born Tough,” and “First High.”
Though Denim & Diamonds is undeniably the result of some hard-won lessons that have left Lane with a tough exterior and a taste for independence, it is also hopeful that there’s some softness still to be found. This is best heard on the sweetest standout “Good Enough,” which finds value in patience and wears away at the callouses till all that’s left it what’s real and true. “As long as I can be good enough for you,” Lane croons, “That’s good enough for me.”
Nikki Lane’s Denim & Diamonds is out Sept. 23 on New West Records.
