Thursday 10th September 2009 @ St Georges, Bristol

The percussion player sang every word with his eyes shut tight and his body moving to the ethereal, deep American country high and low toned hums; the spritely bass player danced about in a tumble of denim, hair and flares, in contrast to the Dad, whose slow movement combined with his contented and wise face displaying a deep inner harmony, broken only for a little narrow eyed look left to check his daughter was playing her guitar correctly. A creature from the forest, the backing vocals of Elina swept through those American skies like an eagle over the pine trees, an haunting and infinite sweet sound, all complimenting perfectly the great, yet modest Alela Diane.

Home and nature unify in Alela Diane’s lyrical paradise. From the Gold Rush town of Nevada City, California, the acoustic, Americana notes born from the region’s feathers, rivers and rocks lap on the shores of memory and imagination. As she sings on stage, Alela escapes to this comfortable, familiar childhood and spiritual destination. The serene folk songs have been penned, and are now clearly strumming from the pureness of a child’s impassioned, innocent heart. It is a love that means she can’t ever truly leave, as she is drawn back there after every tour. Her emotions are forever festooned within the trees’ leaves and in the soft sound of the feisty and equally soothing cathartic river.

As she sang in the open lungs of St Georges, the congregation were entranced with the purity of sound and the calmness of the musicians (all but the slightly comedic bass player, the endearingly hippy Californian). Songs of romantic love and country rifles mixed with those of mothers and the melody in the wind as safety, as well as the traditional songs she grew up with. Alela filled the church with a respect and love for the purity and simplicity of youth and nature and taught us to holding onto the components of our past that make us the people that we are.

www.aleladiane.com

Helen Martin