Kanye's Diamonds

On his new single, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," Kanye West uses a sample of Shirley Bassey singing "Diamonds Are Forever," but rather than go for spy-movie campiness he's turned in a beat that's dark, stormy and ominous. Just don't listen too closely to Kanye's rapping, because you'll find that he's squandered the drama and darkness of the beat on a series of tired brags. But the cadence of his voice is still a joy to listen to; there's a strangely creepy and compelling hook (Kanye saying "ever ever" over and over again, in an increasingly hoarse and strangled tone) and you've got to love the closing shot: "Right here stands a man/ With the power to make a diamond with his bare hands."