Diamonds & Liquid Gold. Jaguar Jonze

Diamonds & Liquid Gold starts as if it is a De Kift track from circa 20 years ago. An electronic sound that is hard to determine the source of. In 'Rising Sun' the sound keeps going but the song itself takes a completely different direction than the fanfare punkers of De Kift ever would have chosen.

'Rising Sun' is a modern song with mysterious under and over currents giving it a very distinct atmosphere that is easy to fall for. Singer Deena Lynch is singing right in front of my face. Although slightly treated she sounds like Blood Red Shoes singer Laura-Mary Carter would, only if she was more pop inclined than alternatively rocking out (loud).

Guitars play a huge role in 'Rising Sun', giving the song its colours. Over the drums and bass and the mysterious sound in the background, the guitar sounds and sparse notes support Deena Lynch in making the song what it is.

When the second song kicks in I notice why I am attracted to Jaguar Jonze. Although there are distinct pop influences in her music, 'Rabbit Hole' is sound and solid. The music blends pop with rock. Giving it a body without losing its pop feel. It makes me realise why I do not like most female pop artists of the last 15 years and do like Blood Red Shoes so much. Jaguar Jonze fills that hole in between in a perfect way.

Promo photo: Ribal Hosn

Deena Lynch is from Brisbane in Australia. Here she got the nick name Jaguar Jonze that became her artist name. She has a reputation to give it her whole and that shines through on Diamonds & Liquid Gold, but not without losing her head. The production shows she has a keen view of where she wants her music to go and how to make her strong voice come through in the best possible way. This mini album is very much her album. The voice is totally up front. The ruckus around her is only there to serve her. This is not a band effort but a solo singer's.

The quality of the first two songs is met easily moving into the album. Diamonds & Liquid Gold holds power combined with good songs that are well sung and played. The title song could have been on the first album of Dutch artist Kovacs. The surprising song is at the end where a more acoustic side of Jaguar Jonze is shown, although the ballad grows bigger fast.

All in all, this is a very promising debut with a promise of much more to come.

Wo.


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