Customer Reviews

Diamonds & Studs

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first single and opening track off the album, "Best of Me," has already been selected as the theme song for VH1's Daisy of Love, and rightfully so, as it's radio friendly, has a cheesy chorus and has an angry female singing the vocals.

The next track, "Killer Life," is a bit more reflective of the pop-rock genre, and definitely puts Morningwood in the same vein as artists like Flyleaf, Paramore and the Dandy Warhols.

Track five, "Snobby Little Elf," is probably my favorite "upbeat" track on the album. Although I'm not sure what the song is about, when Claret sings "Hey, this is strange," it stays in your head long after the album is over.

"Sugarbaby" does rock out harder than expected for a song of that title, while I can see "Addicted" being the song that females blast on their iPods to get their pop fix while giving the silent middle finger to their A-hole boyfriends.

I was secretly expecting not to like "Bipolar Bear," as it's already a favorite song of mine by Stone Temple Pilots, but yet again, Claret's vocals and powerful one liners like "I will f*** you up," made the song tolerable.

"That's My Tune," with its Ting Tings melody, will surely become a radio hit, while the last two songs on the album are arguably the best.

"Three's a Crowd" works because you get to hear the layered vocals of both Chantal Claret and Pedro Yanowitz (who surprisingly used to be the drummer for The Wallflowers.) "Cat in a Box," besides being the slowest and concluding track on the album, is very reminiscent of vintage No Doubt (think, "Greener Pastures,") and that's a compliment.

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Once again morningwood aims to please, and they succeeded, their second record and better than the first. So happy they finally came out with another record. I have been a fan for a long time, and they do not fail me. From Hot Tonight to Cat in a Box the record is a nonstop compliment of one great song after another. I hope this time they get the respect they deserve.

morningwood is back and better than ever! in a lot of ways this album is a fresh start for the band. with their big label and self-titled debut three years ago, Morningwood, some were left with a rushed feeling. the band's relationship with the label seemed a bit rushed and the album didn't feel like it lived up to all that it could be. flash forward three years down the line and here we have it, the album that their self-titled debut should have been. here we find songs that have taken a full three years to come to fruition, spanning a variety of genres and solidifying into one solid sound for the band. morningwood is and has been chantal and pedro, and here we find a labor of love shared between the two between two coasts. the album, as chantal as put it herself, is like loud pop music. morningwood rocks hard but has always been fans of pop and here we find the two seamlessly worked together, with tracks that schools don't have to be embarrassed about to rock on the bus on the way home from school. the album also finds a branching out in style, albeit the taste is a bit too short and sweet, with the last track, Cat In a Box. Chantal said during a performance that she writes so many songs about hooking up it would only make sense to write a cautionary tale as well. in this song we see morningwood flirting with a slower simmering torch of number, making for a sultry late night love affair. Songs like Sugarbaby prove that morningwood can still rock as hard as they did in Jetsetter, while Bipolar Bear and Three's A Crowd flirt with the style that made morningwood famous with songs like Take Off Your Clothes and Nth Degree. It should also be said that this album marks a fresh and somewhat more of an indie start for the band. This album was released through an exclusive partnership with Vh1 (which is part of Mtv Networks) and the amazon listing shows "morningwood" for the label, which leads me to believe that the band and Vh1 have both partnered to bring us this release. Which means that if this album does well, both succeed, and vice versa. Therefore this release is worth paying for for the sole purpose of supporting great, and in some senses, emerging artists. do yourself a favor and check it out, morningwood rocks!

I think this is definately one of the best rock bands going these days. They actually play instruments rather than electronic gadgets. Great female singer. The band rocks, is upbeat, uptempo, fun to listen to, edgy and sexy. I liked their first album better. Although I love this album, it seems as though the record company or someone was trying to reign them in just a little into a more pop commercial sound. Of couse after singing Take Off Your Clothes on the first album, where do you go from there for rebellion? This is a very good, enjoyable record. True, I would like that uninhibited, free, fling it all out there garage sound more in display on the first album, but this record shows off a lot of talent and some great songs to make a purchase worthwhile.

Lives up to and beyond the expectations I had for it. well worth the wait. Every song on the record has a great hook and a wonderful chorus which is exactly what I want from my pop rock. Memorable songs with great hidden meanings. A wonderful record to add to my collection, I am going to be listening to it for a long time coming. thanks for the great record once again, this one better than the last!

I love Morningwood and saw them in concert. However, their first album is far better than their second. Diamonds and Studs decided to go in the way of Pop. Unfortunately they made a huge mistake. During almost the entire album, I was listening to the songs and there'd be parts of the songs that I liked then the chorus would come in and it'd be crap. I really want to blame the producing of the album (maybe the record company's fault for wanting them to be more approachable for mainstream radio ) but they lost something magical in the process. Most of the songs on the album would be alright if they did some reworking and brought in more rock and edge like their first album.
In concert they sang mostly the songs from their first record and sang only a couple off the new one for good reason. I really do like Best of Me, but fall short on just about all of the rest.

I couldn't wait to purchase this CD. Morningwood's self-titled release was phenomenal and inspiring on all levels, but "Diamonds & Studs" was a complete letdown. Granted a few songs have merit, but the frenetic energy of the first recording was completely lost. Worst still, the amazing Chantal Claret totally held back on her vocals. It was as if they were all reined in as if they were mental patients that needed to calm down. This is the most disappointing follow-up I've ever listened to. Hopefully, they'll be back on track with their next effort. Let Chantal loose!

This is a phenomenal CD! It's sexy, catchy, and pop rock with extra rock! VERY GOOD!

CD arrived timely and in good shape. Morningwood is a new group to me. I saw a video of theirs on VH1, liked the song, and bought the CD. I really like all the songs on the CD, but some are not appropriate for kids not around swear words or too young to repeat swear words when they sing along. There are two songs that I would consider inappropriate for the younger set.

I love this album! So many great songs - Hot Tonight, Killer Life, Sugarbaby, Bipolar Bear, Best Of Me, Cat In A Box... the whole album is really strong & Snobby Little Elf is my absolute FAVORITE! I got to see them at the NYC Nokia show last month and it was so much fun! Chantal has such great stage presence - she really gets the crowd involved and into the music. I really hope they do a tour SOON so my friends can get to see them live too!!