Hear Me Roar

posted in: Music News

If the reality show Rock Star: Supernova succeeded in anything, it wasn’t reviving the careers of Motley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke and Metallica bassist Jason Newsted. Instead, it brought some fresh new talent to light, specifically contestants Ryan Star and Dilana Robichaux. Star went on to sign a deal with Atlantic Records after the show, while Dilana, who came in second place in the competition, released her first full-length in nine years on Kabunk Records. Calling to mind both Melissa Etheridge and Linda Perry, the South African singer’s calling card is her tremendous voice. The Question kicks up a dust storm of her bluesy, muscular vocals and yowling guitars that dart in and out of the tempest. My Drug is a whip-smart rocker about the darker side of love and devotion. If I give my heart to you, keep it beating, she warns as guitars lash across the melody. Dilana is tough enough to go up against the rock boys, as she’s already proven. But beneath all the smoke and grit is a softer side that can easily bruise. The elegiac Still Wanting and symphonic Falling Apart show that the singer can keen just as intensely as she can roar.