Dive Deep

On her gutsiest album yet, Julie de Azevedo pushes the envelope of contemporary sound with her 1999 release Dive Deep. Simultaneously hearkening back to the early days of Tracy Chapman's electric-folk sound and looking ahead to the future of guitar accompaniment, de Azevedo shows she's in the music business for the long haul. Always a brilliant lyricist, she touches on some awesome material in this outing. She touches on the feeling of looking forward to finally being grown up in "Still Looking": "I'm still looking for the day I feel at home in my own skin/Still looking for the key that lets me out and lets you in." The marvelous "Wings" touches on man's potential for eternal life with an intriguing look through the eyes of a surprised recipient of a pair of wings. The title track "Dive Deep" touches on the complexities of being a woman, and issues a challenge to men to appreciate them. "Diamonds" notes that people are all different, but they can all "shine like diamonds/burn burn like coal/feel the fire/I'll take it all/I'll take it all." Her compositions also show off her newly acquired guitar skills; one really worth a listen in this regard is the fun riff on "Living in Oz," with "The Sweetest Day," "Dive Deep," "Mansions" and "Diamonds" all excellent as well. John Hancock, Rich Dixon, and Guy Hanson all lend guitar skills, with Craig Poole and Jim Stout providing basslines. The highlight, though, is Julie's voice. The production was much better than Pray for Rain, so she doesn't sound quite as nasal. She evokes many different moods with this effort, probably her best album. ~ Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams, Rovi