Alela Diane & Wild Divine Rough Trade **

After two well-received albums of deep and emotional shanties, ballads and campfire folk tunes, Alela Diane decided it was time to give her band more space on the bill. It doesn't stop there, though, and Wild Divine (which features both Diane's husband and father) also muscle in on the musical pitch. This means that the vintage vocals and pristine arrangements that gave The Pirate's Gospeland To Be Stilltheir wow factors are now competing with an unsubtle battery of instruments hellbent on giving every song they encounter a glossy lick of paint. The presence of REM producer Scott Litt does little to alleviate this, and on some songs (ie, Desire) you'll wonder if someone slipped you a Sheryl Crow CD by mistake. It's only when Diane asserts her authority – and voice – that songs such as To Beginand Of Many Coloursescape the middle of the road. See aleladiane.com

Download track: To Begin