Search - Alela Diane :: To Be Still

Ultimate Mello

J. Romer | 02/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I don't write reviews usually, but I thought I would take the opportunity to write one on Alela's new album "To be Still". Some have a hard time defining her genre of music. It's definitely a hybrid of sorts with Pirate's Gospel. A blend of Harry Nilsson and Carol King and just totally folk I would say in this new album. I feel like I'm floating in the heavens when I hear "The Alder Trees". The steel guitar riffs in the "Dry Grass & Shadows" are sweet and hypnotizing. The "To be Still" track is probably my favorite. Her voice just draws me into this whole other world like a childhood I wished I had. Never look back they say, but I can't help it when I hear this one. The recorded track on the album is great, but her live version is even better. I recommend visiting Lavonmatik Session on Youtube. She's playing in a laundromat of all places and sounding so incredible. "White as diamonds" is especially fitting with the harsh snowy winter we've had in New England. The messages on this album are about struggle and perseverance, but if you can just hold on a little bit longer you'll realize the beauty. How relevant - stay strong and be still."

Beautiful...

Marsen Sedgwick | New York City | 03/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had the good fortune this past week of hearing a live feed of Alela Diane performing at the SXSW music festival. She was playing the title track of her outstanding second release, "To Be Still". I thought,"This is good...really good. Sounds like Beth Orton a bit...does she have a new album out?" Then I looked at the KEXP song listing and read the name "Alela Diane...To Be Still". This album is so good, so accomplished that I have to think that by year's end, Alela will have much bigger name recognition than presently. Compared with her first release "The Pirate's Gospel", "To Be Still" has banjo, pedal steel guitar, overdubbed acoustic guitars, bass guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and perhaps most of all percussion. It's as if a talented producer came on board, and got together a talented group of musicians. The singing and song writing, too, are stronger (and her singing is magical...she proves every bit as good a singer as her peers like Feist, Regina Spector, Beth Orton, and Neko Case...and that's saying a lot indeed). In fact, while listening to certain tracks on "To Be Still" I'm reminded of Joni Mitchell's self-titled debut...there's a restraint, a poise, a purity that both albums have in common. In short, "To Be Still" is a remarkable folk album that deserves your attention. Highly recommended."

Great album!

Greg Kinne | midwest | 07/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"`To Be Still' is the follow up to Alela Diane Menig's critically acclaimed debut `The Pirate's Gospel.' `To Be Still' utilizes a fuller sonic palette in creating the world that Menig's characters inhabit. Although there is more instrumentation on this album, the highlight is still Menig's voice. Menig is quite capable of going from a husky growl to a delicate mew for emphasis that recalls both Karen Dalton and Joanna Newsome.



The music on `To Be Still' was created between 2007 & 2008 and recorded at her father's home studio in Nevada City, California. The recording process for Alela Diane was a rather low key and family oriented affair. Her father played on the album with several of their shared musician friends. Family friend and visionary singer Michael Hurley guests on "Age Old Blues." The album opens casually with a high and lonesome pedal steel on "Dry Grass & Shadows" that sets the weary and ghostly tone throughout the album.



Most of these songs feel like they could have been written 100 years ago, which is an impressive feat for a songwriter so young. "White As Diamonds" and "Age Old Blues" are both spare and mournful. In their simplicity, these songs sound as if they were taken from the Appalachian Mountains. The title track is a calming listen as it yearns for simpler times. As the album progresses, the music and theme becomes heavier both in theme and accompaniment. The moodier side of Alela Diane is evident most notably on "My Brambles" and "The Ocean." "Every Path" seems to be the spectral cousin of "To Be Still" as both songs echo the theme of returning to a loved one.



`To Be Still' is a satisfying listen throughout. It is apparent that each of these songs has been crafted and each benefits from the fuller production"