Is an iconic song good no matter the voice delivering the lyrics? Can the same emotion occur as if you were listening to it for the first time?
Or can you close your eyes and your ears hear no distinction in the production of a cover band or singer?
I asked myself those same questions when I first came across the two-song (yes, just two) EP Luka Bloom from Denny Diamond and The Jewels. Denny Diamond’s backstory is an interesting one, their tours have hit many a town delivering Neil Diamond classics, along with other classic covers.
They are also featured in a forthcoming documentary about tribute musicians.
I closed my eyes while listening to “Diamond Mountain” and felt a strange closeness to the lyrics. I could imagine the documentary to which it’s the theme song – Play Me – and think of all those thousands of tribute artists memorizing and nitpicking moves and lyrical deliveries from anyone from KISS to Neil Diamond to Elvis. Denny Diamond, his voice strong like a Redwood and yet crisp like, er, a cracklin’ rose, played like a narration.
Denny Diamond’s voice triumphs in “Diamond Mountain” like a soloist in church; his range and enthusiasm is only altered by his equally joyous emotion. He delivers and he takes the listener willingly. For those expecting something more pop, they will likely find something a bit more Broadway. Denny Diamond’s voice is made for the stage.
In “Holly Holy” I seriously thought Neil Diamond himself had re-recorded the track, or re-mastered the tune. Denny Diamond’s take is brilliant. I felt like the music bed was a bit distracting – just a tad loud – Denny Diamond’s vocals were a bit drowned out. Just slightly.
Overall, these are both excellent tracks and big cheers Denny Diamond and The Jewels. They really shine.
