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A tour-de-force debut: Diane Birch - Bible Belt, 2009
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It’s safe to say that when guitarist Lenny Kaye of The Patti Smith Group, bassist Adam Blackstone of The Roots, bassist George Porter, Jr. of the legendary Meters, drummer Stanton Moore of Galactic, drummer Cindy Blackman of Lenny Kravitz’s band, and the famed vocals of Eugene Pitt of the Jive Five all accept the invite to play on your debut record, there is something undeniably special about you. You would be Diane Birch and you would already be compared to the likes of Laura Nyro, Karen Carpenter, and Carole King.
On May 19, the already acclaimed Diane Birch released her debut album, Bible Belt.
The album begins with the girl group gospel blues folk of “Fire Escape”. Birch is a disturbing dead ringer for Tapestry-era Carole King. This is not the singer-songwriter pop rock of Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, or Sheryl Crow. There is something more studied, more broad in scope, and more engaging about Birch’s touch. Her vocals range with the best, sinking to downtrodden gut blues and soaring to heart-wrenching falsetto. The early 60s background vocal accents are completely at place and natural in scope and the progression is full of life, pulsing with every rise and fall in intensity.
“Valentino” sounds off like The Who’s “Magic Bus” before delving into sing-song ooh-ooh’s reminiscent of the best of the 70s singer-songwriter movement. The hooks, while catchy, do not suffer from the same formulaic sickness that stains many of her modern singer-songwriter contemporaries. Birch’s vocal again impresses unlike much of the drivel out there. She doesn’t cloud the arrangement with pretentious unnecessary vocal runs, nor does she struggle to force a style that is inexistent among her abilities. She is quoted as describing herself as an “old soul” and it’s perfectly fitting, considering her songwriting wherewithal.
Much the same is communicated on the smooth soul folk pop hybrid that is “Fools”, with its anthem of ambition, love, and female strength in the face of male ignorance. The vocal attitude is upped on the bluesy delivery of “Nothing But A Miracle”. If you weren’t aware of her potential for soulful swagger, Birch has just proved herself. The horn accents, the vintage rhythms, and the deeper-toned blues approach all bring to mind that early-to-mid 70s smooth approach perpetrated by the likes of Carole King and Marvin Gaye. Although, to pigeonhole her through comparison is unfair, considering her completely unique approach.
“Rewind” is so far the most contemporary sounding song offered, so much so that the chorus is nearly identical in progression to the 80s cheese of Heart’s “Alone”. Yet, where Birch’s composition succeeds and completely bypasses that song is in its multi-instrumental accents, her more beautifully antiquated vocal, and her piano playing that takes cues from Ray Charles, the world of honky tonk, and Elton John. Speaking of her piano playing, “Rise Up” is driven by her keyed blues soul. This is early 70s at the very latest, more likely mid-to-late 60s. Complete with simmering horn atmosphere, Birch throws her no-holds-barred vocal into 6th gear as she struts through the melody, doing her foremothers proud – those foremothers being Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Bessie Smith, and Bonnie Raitt, to name a few.
Armed with a gospel choir vibe, a belled backdrop, and a domineering percussive structure, “Photograph” exists as one of the more progressive tracks with its breadth of melody and multifaceted composition. Nearly every one of the singers listed at the end of that paragraph make a cameo appearance on this track, just add on your standard list of 70s female singer-songwriters. The song seems to travel from the streets of Tin Pan Alley to the fame of Laurel Canyon to the energy of Bourbon Street to the American Baptist church. The song remains quite possibly the climactic high point of the album.
“Don’t Wait Up” explores much the same history of American music, this time with hefty emphasis on the church with its Southern-fried blues, soul, and gospel. Birch drops the genteel approach in favor of sweat-ridden throaty attitude that rivals the vocal prowess of Amy Winehouse. In contrast, “Mirror Mirror” tones down the strut, focusing more on modulating melody and compositional depth. Birch has this likeness to be taken seriously both in the context of the folk soul singer-songwriter and in the context of the blues soul powerhouse.
“Ariel” exists much in the same fashion, but you really just want to hear “Choo Choo” already at this point. Her gospel roots take center stage once again and she takes on a bit of Little Richard piano, which is always a welcomed delivery. You can’t help but hear the Bonnie Raitt and the mild Janis Joplin vibe surging through Birch’s anachronistic veins. This stands as a wake up call to the standard 00’s singer-songwriter to cease fully embracing the staleness of modern pop writing and hark back to this golden era of songwriting.
The album closes with the straight blues of “Forgiveness” and the soaring emotive piano ballad “Magic View”. The former might as well be the best demonstration of Birch’s vocal, with regard to both octave range and her ease of ability to rip your heart to oblivion. For those of you in need of another comparison to test the waters, there’s a significant Fiona Apple vibe in her tone and in her emotion; although Apple’s songwriting is founded in other styles of American music. In any case, the album closes on the triumphant “Magic View”. A piano, a minimal string section, and one strikingly beautiful voice bring the album to its end, as Birch closes with, “I would be a fool to miss this magic view/Staring at the ceiling next to you.”
With a powerhouse debut in Bible Belt, Diane Birch has set the standard for a new decade of songwriting – one that fears not the pressure to fit, and pursues the desire to make art.
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