The Real Music

.net

It was a Sunday morning, back in 2009, I had a huge hangover and required some chilled music. My sister suggested I check out Alela Diane and her album, The Pirate's Gospel. At this time of my life, I had pretty much given up on music. The genres I had loved for many years (namely, metal, punk and rock) all seemed very stale to me. I couldn't find anything that excited me the slightest, so I was simply restricted to the classics. Alela Diane was exactly what I needed on that particular Sunday, but she was also what I needed in my life period.

The Pirate's Gospel was perfect for the horrible state I was in. It allowed me to curl up into a ball, close my eyes and drift off to Alela Diane's soothing voice and melodies. The album is very intimate as Alela Diane creates a soft, compelling and almost nurturing music that allows the listener to find peace within. Her gentle, yet sometimes gritty voice, blends perfectly with her melodious and harmonic guitar picking. The Pirate's Gospel is a compilation of songs that are all amazingly beautiful, from the opening "Tired Feet" to the closing "Oh! My Mama".

The Pirate's Gospel is Alela Diane's stand out album, in my opinion. Although she has grown as both a songwriter and musician, her more recent music lacks the simplicity, the intimacy, or the sheer beauty that belong to The Pirate's Gospel. However, Alela Diane, and this release in particular, will always hold a place in my heart, as she renewed my faith in music when I had lost all hope.

F. Declercq 03/07/12