Speak a Little Louder is the second studio album released by singer-songwriter Diane Birch. The lead single is "All the Love You Got".[7] Birch's singing and composition evokes sounds of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac.[8][5] Birch's father died of cancer earlier in 2013, and she wrote the album to make sense of her past. Birch stated "Going through losing somebody was a very spiritually transformative experience to me, so some of the songs [I had initially planned for Speak a Little Louder] didn't feel relevant. Hanging on to that facet of rebellion in my past became irrelevant."[9]

Speak a Little Louder
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 15, 2013[1]
GenreRock,[1] synth-pop[2]
Length45:32
LabelS-Curve
ProducerDiane Birch, Steve Greenberg, Matt Hales, Homer Steinweiss, Ahmir Thompson, Eg White, Sheldon Steiger[3]
Diane Birch chronology
The Velveteen Age
(2010)
Speak a Little Louder
(2013)
Nous
(2016)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
New York Daily News[5]
PopMatters6/10[1]
Rolling Stone[6]

Birch wrote or co-wrote all the tracks on the album. The primary musicians on the album consists of Diane Birch on vocals, piano, keyboard, and tambourine (plus organ, Rhodes, keg, and drums), Nick Movshon on bass, and Homer Steinweiss on drum and guitar (plus bass).[10] Other musicians to support the album are guitarists Mike Barron, Bing Ji Ling, Thomas Brenneck, James Farkas, Luke O'Malley, Mark Williams, and Tomek Miernowski, Jean-Philip Grobler on guitar and synth, Eg White on guitar and keyboard, bass players Angelo Morris and John Taylor, and Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson on drums. Matt "Aqualung" Hales performs all instruments on "UNFKD" and mostly all instruments on bonus song "Hold on a Little Longer".

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Speak a Little Louder"Diane Birch, Homer Steinweiss 3:46
2."Lighthouse"Birch, Steinweiss 3:55
3."All the Love You Got"Birch, Eg WhiteWhite, Steve Greenberg, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson3:52
4."Tell Me Tomorrow"Birch, Steinweiss 3:43
5."Superstars"Birch 4:51
6."Pretty in Pain"Birch, Betty Wright 3:44
7."Love and War"Birch, Cathy Dennis, Jimmy Harry 3:58
8."Frozen Over"BirchSteve Greenberg, Sheldon Steiger3:11
9."Diamonds in the Dust"Birch, Barrett Yeretsian 4:35
10."UNFKD"Birch, Matt "Aqualung" HalesMatt Hales4:12
11."It Plays On"BirchDiane Birch5:45
Total length:45:32
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
12."Walk the Rainbow to the End"BirchDiane Birch4:16
13."Adelaide"Birch, SteinweissHomer Steinweiss4:07
14."Staring at You"Birch, SteinweissHomer Steinweiss5:23
15."Hold on a Little Longer"BirchMatt Hales4:03
16."Truer than Blue"Birch, SteinweissHomer Steinweiss4:00
Total length:1:07:22

References

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  1. ^ a b c Horowitz, Steve (November 5, 2013). "Diane Birch: Speak a Little Louder". Pop Matters. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Lions, Bailey (July 16, 2014). "Diane Birch - Speak a Little Louder". The Music.com.au. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "Speak a Little Louder - Diane Birch | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Allmusic Rating - Speak a Little Louder - Diane Birch
  5. ^ a b Farber, Jim (October 8, 2013). "Pearl Jam, 'Lightning Bolt,' and Diane Birch, 'Speak a Little Louder': Album reviews". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Powell, Mike (October 18, 2013). "Diane Birch: Speak a Little Louder". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  7. ^ "Diane Birch Undergoes Creative Metamorphosis With 'Speak A Little Louder', Out October 15 On S-Curve Records". Shore Fire Media. August 6, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  8. ^ Hunt, Patrick A. (November 3, 2013). "Album Review: Diane Birch's Speak a Little Louder". MuseBreak. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Wooten, Kristi York (October 31, 2013). "Diane Birch Sheds Her Rebellious Past". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Speak a Little Louder - Deluxe Edition (CD liner). Diane Birch. United States: S-Curve. 2013. 7315110420.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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