Diane Birch
Nous

Just when I was beginning to wonder what had happened to her, I find out that Diane Birch has released a new album. Three years have passed since the previous "Speak a Little Louder" and in the meantime, many things have changed: from the change of label due to the not so encouraging sales of her first two works (now she is self-producing) to various personal vicissitudes culminating in the move to Berlin, a lot of water has passed under the bridge, and it's hardly surprising that it took all this time to produce a new work.

Time that, however, has been very well spent, judging by the final result: after a shaky album like "Speak a Little Louder," "Nous" is the best Diane could offer to prove she has regained the strong presence of her beginnings. If the main ingredients of the recipe remain the same (soul, gospel, opera, and “classic” song), Birch indeed shows she has (re)acquired a remarkable mastery of her means not only by writing lyrics and music worthy of the best episodes of "Bible Belt," but by personally taking care of the production of the entire work, which, while benefiting from a unified and coherent stylistic overall figure, makes variety its strength. Between the operatic-Gregorian traits of the introduction of "Hymn for Hypatia" and the soul of "How Long," the icy electronics of "Kings of Queens," the hypnotic stride of "Walk On Water," and the dreamy oscillations of "Stand Under My Love," Diane manages in just one work of only 7 tracks to range from Joni Mitchell to the Eurythmics, from Gregorian chants to blues, without forgetting to pay homage to Laura Nyro, always the main muse of the young singer-songwriter. All, of course, sung by the usual warm and full-bodied voice, which here seems to have even expanded its already wide expressive spectrum.

A pity only that to produce a work of such caliber, Diane had to step away from the spotlight: with a talent like hers, that's where she should be, there to remind everyone what it means to know how to write beautiful songs. But perhaps it's better this way, that she stays where she is, free from any kind of contract that would probably do nothing but clip her wings, just now that she seems to have unfolded them to finally soar. To affirm it with certainty, we will have to wait at least for the next album (hoping it arrives not too late), but if these are the premises, it will be difficult not to see her flying quite high.