“I tend to go dark when I write” says Portland-based singer-songwriter Alela Diane but her 7th album is full of warmth and light. It is illuminated by a recognition that human connectedness is fundamental for our wellbeing. Fragile As A Flame is a title that sums up her assessment of the human condition.
The death of folk legend Michael Hurley last year at the age of eighty-three hit the singer hard. He was an artist she knew personally and revered completely. His passing prompted her to find renewed solace in music and fired a strong desire to share her songs again with people she loved and respected .
These new tunes were conceived and then recorded in the attic of her 1892 Victorian home. Her main collaborators are co-producer Sam Weber, bassist Sebastian Owens, guitarist Peter Lalish and Anna Tivel on backing vocals and violin.
The lead single California is memory-fuelled travelogue centred on her hometown of Nevada of which she says: No matter how much time passes, part of my heart will always live among those golden hills.
Nostalgia also infuses Dusty Roses which, as the evocative video shows, connects her past to her life now as the mother of two daughters.
Family moments also influence To Be Kind which was written from the perspective of a mother (her?) to a child in a difficult phase. The passing of time is the essence of Endless Waltz, a love letter to her grandparents.
The delightful flow of Galloping and the earthier Piss, Coffee, Blood Or Wine? (a protest romp) are other songs that contribute to a record that is full of wisdom, melodic richness and delicacy. As Diane puts it so eloquently, this is music from the hearts and breathing bodies of human beings, imperfect as we may be.
