album review: alela diane & wild divine
The first thing I can say about Alela Diane & Wild Divine is her voice, oh… the voice. I was immediately mesmerised by the spellbinding vocals and listeners are lured into her album, which is sunnier than her two previous studio albums.
Alela Diane joins with Wild Divine for this album, made up of husband Tom Bevitori, guitarist Tom Menig (Diane’s father), bass player Jonas Haskins, and drummer Jason Merculief. Her third album reflects the addition of the band, with a fuller sound, however it still remains uncluttered. Accompanied by beautiful music, her voice is the standout feature of the album: tender and mature.
The Portland based singer aches of heartbreak, madness and death throughout the album in an introverted way. There are the usual twangs of guitar and drums and the folk feel that you would expect from Diane but there is something more developed in this album.
Restraint is the key to Alela Diane & Wild Divine and Diane seems to know the strength and boundaries in her distinctive voice.
The first song ‘To Begin’ almost hits all the notes for a pop release, and still carries all the substance of the other songs on the album. It is followed by yet another upbeat track ‘Elijah’, my favourite song on the album. It speaks of a mother who must sacrifice her life to look after her son, with a poetic and emotional stamina.
Mostly, the songs on the album are darker though and despite the songs meshing together, you could easily listen to this album all day.
Brooding, technically impressive and so much more. This is an album to play when you’re in front of the fireplace with a nice warm cup of tea…or anywhere else.
