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Some may have thought that the album may never get released, but finally, studio album no.8 for the group / no. 2 for current front woman Jamie Pineda, Diamond Veil has landed!
Before we go any further, we'd like to apologise. The artwork we're using is actually the Japanese one and not the artwork that comes with the Western download (we just don't like it and we're sure you'll see why and you'll agree!)
As promised, Diamond Veil is slightly more dance orientated than previous release, The Next Generation, though some tracks still maintain the trademark classical sampling. The album opens with the bright, breezy and upbeat Minute By Minute(might have something to do with the classical piece sampled; Morning from the Peer Gynt suite). Keeping with the theme is Bullet Proof (nothing like the a capella clip posted by Jamie months ago) and I Know You’re Not Alone (which features in soon to be released Japanese film Paradise Kiss).
Air Raid raises the bar slightly into dance/R&B territory, kept up again by Under The Influence and Shot Gun. Dizzy & Fever are, to put simply, dance tracks (well you might be Dizzy from a Fever…okay bad joke) although there is a sense of forgottenlyricitius for Fever…Suddenly from nowhere comes the beautiful ballad Nothing ‘bout Nothing followed by the equally beautiful Echo.
Undo This Hurt lulls you into a false sense of a slow ballad before bursting into full pop song. I Don’t Give A Damn comes storming angrily in, being calmed straight afterwards by Once. Dropping the tempo is Indestrucible before closing the album on the ballad Remember This Dance (first single in Japan).
Overall, the album has a different feel to previous albums with more upbeat songs rather than ballads. It feels and plays like a balanced album. There’s no disjointed or awkward moments that can arrive from track order. The samples that were provided by the Japanese label on a special commemorative site of selective tracks (or samples provided by other sites) do not live up to the full tracks potential. And it’s obvious that Jamie has grown more confident vocally from the previous release and that can only be a good thing.
Rating 5/5
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