Kristin Diable – Kristin Diable and the City (March 2012 Speakeasy Records)
With a laid back sound and a pleasant bluesy drawl, New Orleanian Kristin Diable has released a great new album entitled Kristin Diable and the City. Her melodious voice meshes vocal elements of Nina Simone, Lucinda Williams, Bonnie Raitt, and Marcia Ball into an enchanting and thoughtful CD.
I loved the tune and lyrics of God’s Chambers that point a reproving finger at those that wrongly profit from the kindness or helplessness of others. And her song, Accidents, addresses the happenstance of life that brings lovers together. In my case, I only discovered Kristin Diable by chance while looking for hometown news about New Orleans on the internet….what a delightful accident!
The tune, Guess It’s Gonna Take Some Time, offers some insightful commentary and nice electric guitar accompaniment by Casey McAllister. Kristin’s music captures the feel of living in New Orleans where “nuthin ever moves fast” and her lyrics about her mother, her country, and her education that taught her “the 50 state capitals but missed the Golden Rule” are poignant and right on the mark. I Know A Man is a haunting slow song that highlights her beautiful voice and Quittin’ Kind is a pretty lovers lament. Waters Keep Risin’ is a nice blues tune and I can’t wait to hopefully hear some true rockin’ blues from her on a future album.
The album was recorded close to Jackson Square in New Orleans next to the banks of the Mississippi River and she captures its mystical lure and charm on the tune My River. A live version of the song, as well as another tune from the album, Reckless and Free, are available for free download from her website, www.kristindiable.com . Kristen has received rave reviews for her performances at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and I can only hope that she’s a regular performer at the hometown event for many years to come.
“For I do know that somewhere is a higher point than here….so I practice patience patience to overcome my fears…” are her lyrics. And patience is indeed a virtue (which I lack). But Kristin shouldn’t have to be patient much longer. She has the temperament and both the songwriting and vocal talent to sparkle brightly in a sky full of new artists and I guarantee that her latest album will be a calling card for entry to a wider number of venues worldwide in the future. She will be performing in Louisiana and California in early 2013 and hopefully audiences in Europe will get to see this outstanding performer sometime soon!
