Alela Diane, folk and Americana greatness in Barcelona

Alela Diane at Apolo, Barcelona.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Alela Diane & Wild Divine. La [2] de Apolo, Barcelona, October 27th

As promised, here's the review of a long awaited concert. The first time (won't be the last) with Alela Diane live, to me Alela one of the greatest folk authors thanks to the amazing "To Be Still". But she came to Barcelona to present her last effort. "Alela Diane & Wild Divine", where there's a clear movement into the Americana, country-rock territory. And although, in my (initial) opinion, with this album, some of her previous uniqueness is gone, on stage she immediately proved the "new" Alela Diane has plenty to offer.

Alela in action. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

Backed by a permanent band now, a very familiar affair, as it includes her husband Tom Bevitori and father Tom Menig on guitars and her friends on bass and drums, the first thing that impacts is how cohesive and full the music sounds. The group, despite their competence, and in particular the brilliance of Menig (what a great outro on "Long Way Down"), leaves a lot of room to Alela to shine while sounding robust and more dynamic.

More Alela on stage.
Photo: Bloodbuzzed

That, combined with a Sala [2] de Apolo that finally did justice to the artist performing with a good sound, and of course Alela's extraordinary, earthy but soulful voice, plus songs like the chosen to start her gig are enough to knock you down: “Of Many Colors”, the gorgeous "Dry Grass & Shadows", "Elijah" and mesmerizing "White As Diamonds". If the concert had ended here, the ticket would have been totally worth it already. What a start!

Luckily, more was coming. The lovely rescues of "Tired Feet" and "The Rifle" from her debut album "The Pirate’s Gospel" and the gentle "The Wind" and "Tatted Lace" marked the central section of the gig, glowing along with his father.

"Rose & Thorn", a promising new tune, continued the night on its high note before entering the last section. Backed again with the full band, Alela and co. allowed themselves to joke with the audience between tunes where guitars got more prominent, amplifying its power if we compare them with the album (hand-clapping included on "Heartless Highway") . After hearing the songs live, now I can say I'm also converted to Alela's new incarnation.

The setlist of a great night. Photo: Bloodbuzzed

After "Suzanne", the group left the stage, but soon Alela reappeared, alone, to overblown the audience with "Oh My Mama", and followed again by her father, end the concert with "Lady Divine". A night of folk and American greatness. A night with the great Alela Diane and her very welcomed company.