A divorce is never fun, but there are plenty of artists who managed to deal with their misery with beautiful music. Think of Blue, Joni Mitchell's breakup record, or Marvin Gaye's Here My Dear. Alela Diane deals with the break with her ex-husband on her fourth album About Farewell. She sings 'The brightest lights cast the biggest shadows' in the title track. Diane opts for a sober instrumentation,
… which gives the album an autumnal, melancholic atmosphere. The album lasts a little longer than half an hour, but sounds much longer than that. Because many songs are set in the same tempo, the singer knows how to grab hold of her listeners and drag them along in her gloomy musings. About Farewell seems to be a form of creative therapy, but it never gets plaintive. Thanks to Alela's special voice, this album remains enjoyable for the fans of introverted singer / songwriters. (PdK)more
