Is voice has changed. Probably because his vocals have matured, which is quite natural. Anyway, they have become deeper, and more confident. Don’t expect the same fever : Benjamin Diamond has dumped sticking to house beats. He seems now to be a pop-lover, with his pulse beating on the riffs of electric guitares. And surprisingly, it sounds much more like him.
Years have passed since the Stardust’s hit “Music Sounds Better With You”. Once again, Benjamin Diamond has hit the road on his own, but this time, he hasn’t gone off track. No more compromise, as it was the case with Strange Attitude, an album a bit dull and tawdry, created under the pressure of the french touch. His second solo album, (but first of heart), has been crafted in his personal studio, as well as within his label Diamondtraxx (HushPuppies, Nelson, Control Club, The Eternals, Octet,). Just after the « Out of Myself » album, he has worked on it during two years, writing all the pieces, and handling the recording with the Pet Sounds sessions next to the console. Two years, the time to gather himself and his ideas, and the time to accept his desires and, with alot of discipline, his voice. “Hearing my voice was hard ”, he admits, “as it would be for an actor who would have to face himself on the screen.”
And this effort on himself has been successful, satisfying his demands as well as his obsessions. The result really suits him perfectly, breaking his pinned image of “house singer”. So, when it came to naming his album, Benjamin Diamond didn’t hesitate a second : it had to be Cruise Control. Produced by Paul Kendal (Depeche Mode, Goldfrapp) and Benjamin Diamond.
Time is too precious now to indulge into any posing or falseness. Rather than hidind behind the clubbing culture, which he shares only by pure accident and then with the Diamondtraxx artists, he now exposes his fascination for fine orchestrations, rock hymnes with booming drums, and sentimental melodies. And fashion has nothing to do with it. We already knew how much he loves black music and Prince. But we had no clue that Benjamin also cherishes classical songwriters as Bob Dylan, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Arthur Lee of the group Love. Nor did we know that he adores Paul Weller, and highly values New Order.
The themes of nostalgy and of growing up from a teenager to an adult seem to structure the album. But he expresses no regret, nor any sadness, but rather a distant and amused vision.
BENJAMIN DIAMOND CRUISE CONTROL
