About Farewell

Turning away from the full-band setup she employed in the past and emphasizing the lonelier aspects of her artistic journey, Alela Diane's About Farewell tells the story of her personal troubles, of a marriage gone to divorce, and a life now very much in question. Some talented friends—Heather Broderick on piano and flute, Holcombe Walker arranging strings, Neal Morgan playing drums—add just the right touch, but they can't change the circumstances. Diane harmonizes with herself and creates an uncomfortable closeness or a sycophantic choir for such emotionally precise tunes as the title track, "Lost Land," and "Before the Leaving." Only the five-minute "The Way We Fall" expands on its theme for a larger musical show. The remaining tracks sit comfortably in their relatively brief existences. The drums on "Black Sheep" do suggest a certain amount of confidence and coming to terms with oneself. But nothing is ever as simple as we'd like, and Diane captures that sense of unsettled hope that hangs in the air of every romantic.