Like the aforementioned artists, Diane Birch is drawing from the decades before she was born. Titled “Bible Belt," Birch's debut pays homage to the sounds of the South -- “Photograph," for example, sways from a comfortably floral orchestration to a full-on gospel coda, and famed gospel-soul singer Betty Wright was an executive producer.
But Birch's brand of piano-driven soul is more cosmopolitan than it is gritty, elegantly at ease with its stylistic diversions and retro debts. A bluesy frolic like “Don't Wait Up for Me" stands comfortably next to the breezy hand-clap merriment of “Valentino."
Owning a soft voice with a pointed center when needed, Birch also possesses classically trained piano skills that have made her adept at weaving pop melodies. “Rewind" begins with a drizzle of piano notes, creating a mournfully reflective base for the crisp horns, redemptive guitars and Birch's post breakup lyrics, touching on the limits of technology and the narrator's arrogance. On a recent cross-country flight, I listened to this song for three hours straight, held captive by spacious piano hooks.
Based in Brooklyn, the mid-20s artist was born into a conservative religious family. Her father a well-traveled preacher, Birch spent a significant portion of her childhood in Africa, but her show tonight at Spaceland is a homecoming of sorts. Among the myriad cities she's lived in, Birch once called L.A. home, working the lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
On Monday afternoon, Birch spoke to Pop & Hiss from San Diego.
