Bible Belt (album)

Bible Belt is the debut release by soul singer-songwriter Diane Birch. The lead single is "Nothing But a Miracle". An acoustic version of the song "Rewind" appears on a season 3 episode of The Vampire Diaries.

Bible Belt
Studio album by
Diane Birch
ReleasedMay 19, 2009[1]
GenreSoul, blues
Length55:01
LabelS-Curve
ProducerSteve Greenberg, Betty Wright, Michael Mangini
Diane Birch chronology
Bible Belt
(2009)		 The Velveteen Age
(2010)

Development

Birch developed her Seventies-style pop music while visiting London and Los Angeles. She recorded Bible Belt in New Orleans and her hometown New York. Several of the songs are autobiographical, such as "Don't Wait Up" which deals with sneaking out from her parents house before changing into Goth dress.[2] "Valentino" is dedicated to her imaginary friend, her muse, from her teenage period when she felt out of time and felt ties to the 18th century. Another song, "Fire Escape", grew out of conversation with a friend, when she learned that the friend's father had recently died.[3] The album has sounds of earlier musical times, with the feel of Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Laura Nyro, and Carly Simon threaded throughout the 13 tracks. Birch employed an orchestra of violins, violas and cellos for "Fire Escape" and "Photograph", under the direction of concert master Sandy Park.[4] She preferred the sound of the Wurlitzer piano because it has a "richness that's hard to replicate on a modern instrument".[5][6]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
PopMatters(6/10)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Mojo[10]

In Mojo, Charles Waring described it as "a mighty impressive first album" and claimed she "combines strong vocal melodies with infectious hook lines and delivers them with a soulful fervour." He also compared her with Carole King, Laura Nyro and Phoebe Snow, while acknowledging "there are elements of gospel, doo wop, Americana and Motown ... Birch has got a great voice and the depth of feeling she injects into her performances imbues her songs with a genuine soulfulness. Solidly consistent, the set is packed with memorable moments, including "Fools", "Nothing But a Miracle" and "Mirror Mirror"."[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Diane Birch.

No.TitleLength
1."Fire Escape"4:01
2."Valentino"2:49
3."Fools"3:54
4."Nothing But a Miracle"4:23
5."Rewind"6:09
6."Rise Up"4:31
7."Photograph"5:21
8."Don't Wait Up"3:00
9."Mirror Mirror"4:48
10."Ariel"3:56
11."Choo Choo"3:42
12."Forgiveness"5:08
13."Magic View"3:10
Total length:55:01
Japanese bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Every Now and Again"3:56
15."Cheap Ass Love"2:39

Personnel
Musicians[11][12][4]
Production[12]
  • Steve Greenberg: Executive producer, producer
  • Betty Wright: producer
  • Mike Manginin: producer, mixing
  • Howie Beno: engineer, mixing
  • Steve Greenwell: engineer, mixing
  • Chris Gehringer: mastering
  • Sheldon Steiger: engineer
  • Tim Ives: photography

Chart positions
Charts (2009) Peak positions
U.S. Billboard 200 87[13]
Italian Albums Chart 26[14]
UK Albums Chart 77

References
  1. "Bible Belt by Diane Birch". MTV. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  2. Gill, Andy (April 22, 2010). "Album: Diane Birch, Bible Belt (S-Curve)". Independent. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  3. "Diane Birch: The 'Bible Belt,' In Eclectic Song". NPR Music. June 14, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  4. bible belt (CD liner). Diane Birch. United States: s-curve records. 2009. 8 07315 1 1012 3.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Day, Elizabeth (May 8, 2010). "The gospel according to Diane Birch". The Guardian. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  6. Muñoz, PC (December 7, 2009). "An Interview with Diane Birch". PopMatters. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  7. Bible Belt - Diane Birch - AllMusic review
  8. "Diane Birch: Bible Belt". PopMatters. September 1, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  9. "Bible Belt: Diane Birch". Rolling Stone. May 1, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  10. Charles Waring Mojo, June 2010, Issue 199.
  11. "Diane Birch - Bible Belt". Discogs. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  12. "Bible Belt - Diane Birch | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  13. "Bible Belt - Diane Birch". Billboard. 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-27.
  14. "Bible Belt - Diane Birch". Archived from the original on 11 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
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