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At first sight, it is really easy to label singer-songwriter-guitarist-keyboardist
John O' Regan (aka Diamond Rings) as a knock off of '80s
icon Boy George, but other than sharing a proclivity for wearing
flamboyant makeup similarly to Boy George, the similarities end there.
Canadian-born O' Regan has differentiated himself from his electro-pop
predecessors. He takes being an artist to the extreme. His latest
CD, Special Affections, has a metallic pop shimmer riddled
with club beats like Tiesto and floating atmospherics emblematic
of '80s harbingers OMD and '90s trendsetters Casey Spooner.
With a focus on dance-inspired synth pop, O' Regan unifies the new
wave generation of the '80s with the chillwave-bent of 2010.
O' Regan melds a rockabilly style guitar quaver in "Something
Else" with electro-pop vibrations that produce a complementing
mix of dance grooves and art-pop. He delves into a beach party-tinged
calypso rhythm in "All Yr Songs" and changes course slightly
with the palpitating beats and trance-rave trimmings cabling "Wait
And See". O' Regan's music is a reflection of his theatrical
personality, upbeat and focused which comes through in the sparkling
flairs that filament "Show Me Your Stuff", which shift to
a soothing ballad wreathed in shimmering embers along "On Fire".
At times, O'Regan seems to repeat himself in his songs creating
a heavy electro-pop sound thick in club beats that deliver a homogenous
breed, but when he fuses other elements like rockabilly, calypso,
and orchestral strings into the electro-pop equations, he makes
songs that stand out and can be identifiable to him. O' Regan's
multi-dexterity is a testament to his vast talent and with time
and a fearlessness to explore traits that are innate to his character,
his talent can ripen much more.
-Susan Frances
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