Speak a Little Louder

Personnel: Diane Birch (vocals).Liner Note Author: Diane Birch.Recording information: Chateau Roebling; Dunham Sound Studios; EG White Studio, London; Grand Street Recording; Rola Pola Studios; Sear Sound; Stevestudio, NYC; Stratosphere Sound.Photographer: Margo Ducharme.Speak a Little Louder, Diane Birch's follow-up to her audacious debut Bible Belt in 2009, features heavyweight talent in the production department. Steve Greenberg is back, but it's Homer Steinweiss helming most of the session, with contributions from E.G. White, ?uestlove, and Matt Hales. Its 11 songs, recorded at seven different studios, are much more polished; her piano and keyboards are adorned by big, natural-sounding drums, humming basslines, and enough guitar to build a stable, dynamic foundation for her voice in a warm, amniotic mix. Birch is an unapologetic pop classicist. The influences of Elton John's melodic sensibility and Stevie Nicks' voice -- in both timbre and phrasing -- are ever-present. The long sha