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The sumptuous sound of country soul, especially where pedal
steel meets Hammond organ meets horns, can take a lot of beating. On a slightly
different footing is the equally ravishing sound of folk soul or to borrow a
phrase from the press supporting this new album by Alice Di Micele, acoustic groove.
No two words are better phrased to describe SWIM, the latest in a long line of
releases from this Oregon based artist. Right from the off this record is a
constant mover using a multitude of instrumental pieces from a lengthy list of
players to breathe musical life into the lyrical outpourings of Alice.
Drawing on the experience of her natural surroundings, there
is a strong environmental theme to Alice’s writing and this is no more
passionate in its expression than the moving protest track ‘Old Life Back’. The US are a lot further
down the line with the exploratory process of fracking than the UK and thus
issues have arisen for song writers to fuel (pun certainly unintended) the
traditional path of championing the underdog. It has to be said Alice does this
rather well with startling and emotional effect, very much in a similar style
to Annabelle Chvostek.
The mood and tone of this record is supremely set in the
opening track as the organ is unleashed in the gorgeous soulful number ‘Soul Fly Free’. The presence of such as
precious musical commodity is only surpassed in the title track ‘Swim’ where the B3 is allowed to run
amok with glorious results. The drift into funk territory is purely a
tantalising taster on the album as Alice often pulls back to concentrate on
more straight up folk. ‘When Jane Rides
Scout’ is the prime example of this as Alice takes on a facet of love with
the subtle help of Tex Mex horns. The driving style and feeling of this song is
akin to some of the work emanating from Canadian artist Amanda Rheume, albeit
without the brass interludes.
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Alice has rubbed shoulders with many acclaimed artists over
her thirty year touring career and not a moment has been wasted in fine tuning
this record into an accomplished body of work. More intuitive writing takes on
another environmental issue this time surrounding the Klamath River in her home
state with the song ‘Schoolhouse’. ‘This Love’ demonstrates that
Alice is perfectly at home addressing this age old topic in tender ballad
proportions complete with the usual sombre cello sound. To supplement the nine
self-penned originals that form the bulk of the content, Alice chose to cover
the Grateful Dead song ‘Ripple’ and
its careful rendition adds value to a record that thrives on an underlying
layer of high calibre music sophistication.
This ingenious release which benefitted from the now common
crowd funding source is formed into a rounded ten track album with three
further numbers starting with a reworking of a song from 1994 titled ‘If I Could Move the World’. This is one
of the smoother tunes on the record and the sensuous sound is repeated a couple
of songs further on in the track ‘Inside’. ‘Open
Road’ with its inspiration drawn from the wide expanses of the natural
environment completes the set and merges sublimely into an album that succeeds
in its mission to seduce your senses.
SWIM is a slice of secular spiritualism designed to educate,
inspire and entertain. It showcases an artist maturing into a comfort zone,
while inviting all comers along for the
ride. Alice DiMicele has produced a delightful album full of many treasures to
chill, marvel and ultimately feast on.