Heavy Diamond Ring – Let Love Be Enough – 5 Song EP
This is a Denver-based light touch band that has melody to spare with angelic voices with just enough salt & pepper (“piss on the flowers, it’ll help them grow”) in their sweet tunes to make them an interesting showcase. Their 5-song EP Let Love Be Enough (Dropped Oct 16/Gitcha Records) was produced by Dan Rodriguez (vocals/percussion) & features Sarah Anderson (vocals), Paul DeHaven (guitar/vocals), Blake Stepan (bass/vocals), Orion Tate Ignelzi (drums/vocals) & Mike Lang (keyboards).
The songs are pleasant personal meditations on love, partnership, self-doubt, & the way people evolve over time. That’s quite a creative approach thematically to pop music. Their material does have an Americana-roots element to keep the arrangements unadorned & well-played. “Problems Got Problems” is driven by the clarity of both the acoustic guitar & Sarah’s cashmere smooth voice.
This isn’t Abba-sweet pop bait; Heavy Diamond Ring has good melodies with intense subjects that cruise the borders of melancholy notes played with vigor & surprisingly, that’s the magic potion in these tunes with emotional resonance. According to the press release, the duo of Sarah & Paul has been writing for a long time & their song “What If I Change” is a poignant look at things to consider. While resisting easy answers, the song looks at the possibilities a relationship may thrive though it may not remain the same. Keep learning how to love people & who they become. This doesn’t necessarily mean their personality changes, but they will grow older, their thoughts & beliefs will age, their tastes in food & music will undergo changes. And you will too. But they are still the one you love.
The majority of songs deal with & reveal a more vulnerable area of life that is the main territory of this music. It’s slick sounding, leaves a good impression, & has a purity to its performance. “The One You Use” is the one that flies high with wide wings. Simply an endearing melody that will stick in your ears all day.
It’s an impressive EP that deserves an album.
Highlights – “The One You Use,” “Problems Got Problems” “Take Whatever You Need” & “What If I Change.”
Add’l Musicians – Gregory Alan Isakov (duet with Sarah on “Take Whatever You Need”) & Jake Armerding (fiddle).
B&W image courtesy of their website. CD @ Amazon + https://heavydiamondring.com/ & https://gitcharecords.com/heavy-diamond-ring
Song Premiere: Heavy Diamond Ring “What If I Change”