Diana Jones was first caught live when playing a sold out
show at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham around the time of the release of
her second main album BETTER TIMES WILL COME. Praise and acclaim had just
started heading in Diana’s direction over here with her stunning show backing
up this adulation. Subsequently Diana did return to the city for another show
on a later tour and her sets were also immensely enjoyed at Shrewsbury Folk
Festival and when the Big Sessions used to be held in Leicester. Now fans new
and old of Diana can re-live her live magical experience via the LIVE IN
CONCERT album being released on Proper Records in February.
The simple title of this release signifies Diana’s
straightforward approach to music where often only an acoustic guitar and a
voice breathing the Appalachian air is sufficient to convey the lyrical
sophistication of her song writing. Of course it was not always the Appalachian
air that supported the life of Diana Jones as was widely documented when she explained
the family awakening discovered on a spiritual journey from suburban New York
to rural Tennessee. Over the last decade she has fully come to grips with
exploiting her genetic talent and this new release captures it most splendidly.
The danger of re-issuing many old songs is adding value for
those who already have Diana’s back catalogue securely in their record
collection. There are three new tracks subtly finding a recorded version for
the first time which partially paves the way. You can check out ‘My Last Call’ in advance via a You Tube
video along with the other newish songs ‘Happiness’
and ‘Prayer for My Brother’. The only
other song fans may not be familiar with is ‘Rain and Cold’ which only appeared as bonus track on certain
versions of HIGH ATMOSPHERE.
The jury can often be out on the worth of live albums as to
whether they actually succeed in transferring a listener’s mind to the
engrossing atmosphere of a venue setting. Essentially the substitution will
always fall short so other redeeming features need to be sought. The eighteen
tracks which have been captured for Diana’s live album come across as pristine recordings
and closely resemble the studio versions. Although it has already been mooted
that such is Diana’s organic approach to music, there is often only a fine line
between the versions of her songs.
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| Diana at the Hare and Hounds Birmingham |
While fully committed Diana Jones fans will instantly snap
up the album, more casual observers will have to weigh up the pros and cons of
such an investment as we wait for her next batch of new original songs. However
if you are quite new to her music, this record will be the ideal introduction as
it conveys a real feeling of what Diana Jones does best. It is packed with all
her popular tunes including the beautiful ‘Pony’,
the tearful ‘Henry Russell’s Last Words’
and poignant ‘Appalachia’. My
personal favourite version on this album is the sublime ‘Drug for This’. There is a heavy bias towards the pair of album
released in a period where her career was taking off namely MY REMEBRANCE OF
YOU and BETTER TIMES WILL COME. Hopefully this does not reflect that the best
of Diana Jones is behind us, just a momentarily look back at a time where the
recognition came pouring in.
Diana Jones has been a frequent visitor to the UK and Europe
to fluctuating degrees over the years and returns for an eight date tour in
April where the songs from this album will no doubt be showcased. Attending one
of Diana’s shows is highly recommended, but if the limited coverage does not
extend to your area, the perfect substitute lies in this record. LIVE IN
CONCERT may not quite replace the real thing but it achieves its goal of
presenting what Diana Jones is all about.