To love, to die, to be reborn: the luminous American once again reveals her subtlety, her sense of community, and her deft picking.
It takes only a minute for the spell to return. A touch of Americana in the opening lyric, then the voice soars as a breathy whistle rings out and the instrumentation subtly thickens. Opening with that irresistible California on her seventh album, the Portland-based singer-songwriter sets down the opening move of a set built on dry yet warm guitar tones.
With In My Own Time, she proclaims that her own time is hers, whether for love or for creation: “Know when to bloom/Know when to bear” (“Know when to bloom/Know when to bear”). Now that her daughters are grown and she can breathe a little more freely outside the duties of motherhood, Alela Diane has chosen, after a closed-quarters writing process, a thrillingly collaborative recording approach.
Carried by her crisp picking, surrounded by drummer Danny Austin-Manning, bassist Sebastian Owens, violinist Anna Tivel, and producer Sam Weber, she recorded this sumptuous collection in five working days.
Affirming her status as one of the indomitable reigning figures of contemporary folk, the album offers American anthems that resist political drift (Galloping, Piss, Coffee, Blood or Wine) alongside ballads that remind us of life’s preciousness (Endless Waltz, Fragile As a Flame) in the face of the imminent loss of loved ones, as evidenced by the folk legend Michael Hurley, celebrated on the luminous Spring Is a Fine Time.
Who’s Keeping Time? (Fluff & Gravy Records/Loose Music/The Orchard). Available since May 22. Live at the Days Off festival, Cité de la Musique, Paris, on July 5.
