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NEW ALBUM TO BE RELEASED IN Late April
“Just heard my favourite song of the year so far, ‘Speak a Little Louder’ from an upcoming Diane Birch LP” – Mark Ronson
“It’s not often that I hear a record and immediately want to play it to people, knowing that their spirits will be lifted. But that’s what happened with Bible Belt, the debut album by Diane Birch, whose soulful way with a tune and beautifully clear voice mark her out as a star in the making.” – The Telegraph
“Fetching Seventies-flavoured soul stylings… Though classically-trained, there's a freshness and freedom about her piano style.” – The Independent
“Fans of British girls with the blues will probably go for this in a big way.” – The Guardian
After the glowing reviews which greeted her 2009 debut album ‘Bible Belt’, Diane Birch looks set to deliver another compelling body of work when her eponymously-titled second album is released in the Spring of 2013. This five-track album sampler offers an insight into what we can expect from the project.
Birch has been working on the album with producers Eg White (Florence and the Machine, Adele), Steve Greenberg (Joss Stone), Matt Hales (Aqualung), Questlove of The Roots and the Dap Kings’ Homer Steinweiss. Steinweiss produced the sampler’s opening track ‘Speak A Little Louder’ which expands Birch’s love of vintage soul and timeless blues into exciting new territory. Mark Ronson described the track as his “favourite song of the year so far” when it emerged from the studio a couple of months ago.
Elsewhere, ‘All The Love You Got’ (which she wrote with Eg White) expands on the intimate, emotional songwriting that made ‘Bible Belt’ so memorable; ‘Tell Me Tomorrow’ blends her classic influences with a bold, contemporary production, and ‘Unfucked’ is cathartic and intensely personal. The sampler is completed by ‘Lighthouse’.
Born in Michigan, Birch moved to Zimbabwe as a child with her South African-born parents. Her father was a conservative pastor and the family followed his mission from continent to continent as they migrated from Zimbabwe to South Africa to Australia. Birch longed to be back in America and finally got her wish when her family relocated to Portland, Oregon, when she was thirteen.
Until she arrived in the States, she’d had scant exposure to the radio or television and little knowledge of popular culture; she’d only listened to classical music, opera and, of course, church hymns. She embraced goth – listening to the Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division, The Cure, even Christian Death – before she fell for songs from the twenties, jazz, The Beatles, psychedelia and Fleetwood Mac.
Recorded in New York City and New Orleans with a formidable team of Grammy-winning producers – Steve Greenberg, soul legend Betty Wright and Mike Mangini – as well as the assistance of Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye, her debut album ‘Bible Belt’ demonstrated her ability to craft uplifting groove on even the most melancholy song.
Now with her follow-up release nearing completion, Birch proves she has grown, both as an artist and as a woman. Charting that journey both musically and lyrically, ‘Diane Birch’ has a fresh, contemporary sound that will set her apart from the pack, whilst still honouring her signature style and roots.