Cusp

"Alela Diane Menig, better known as simply Alela Diane, has managed to pull off a number of transformations in her relatively short career. From the sinewy folk of The Pirate's Gospel to her poppy family band Wild Divine, the Californian singer-songwriter has gathered a varied set of personas. On her latest record Cusp she turns to consider the warmth and alien insecurity of motherhood".

"Oregon-based singer-songwriter Alela Diane Menig's outstanding fifth album is the result of her confronting what she sees as one of the more ridiculous remaining artistic taboos - that women should not write songs about having babies. The singer has form when it comes to going deep - 2013's melancholy About Farewell documented her painful break-up from husband and band-member Tom Bevitori - and Cusp gains much from exploring motherhood's agonies as well as ecstasies".

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