With Otterson, Nashvillian singer-songwriter Diana Darby has released her fifth album; it’s freshly out on vinyl, compact disc, and digital through Delmore Recording Society, the label that has issued the entirety of her full-length discography. If Darby’s place of residence leads to an assumption that she can be categorized as part of that city’s long stylistic tradition, that’s not really accurate. Her sound is better assessed as folk, smart, and often fragile without dissipating into insubstantiality. Darby’s roots are strong and deep without ever registering as a mere throwback.
Diana Darby released her debut album, Naked Time, in 2000. Her next two followed in rather quick succession, Fantasia Ball in ’03 and The Magdalene Laundries in ’05. Roughly seven years elapsed before I V (Intravenous) came out. It was also her vinyl debut. Otterson ended an even longer stretch, although she started working on the record in the midst of the COVID pandemic.
Darby has related that a few of Otterson’s songs were written years before and stored on an old hard drive. After rediscovering them, she recorded them anew, and their inclusion on her latest strengthens the cohesiveness of her sound across a quarter-century. Generally recording solo, Darby struggled through difficulties this time out due to problems with a Digital Audio Workstation (she’d previously recorded to 4-track cassette). The good news is that none of those issues are apparent in Otterson’s finished sequence, which is as accomplished as any of her prior albums.
Along with electric and acoustic guitar, Darby plays a little piano on Otterson. She welcomes the contribution of JZ Barrell on guitars, bass, and percussion, as the album, with one exception, was recorded in Chicago and Brooklyn. The songs are vivid and textured, with opener “April” establishing an ethereal gentleness that’s persistent but not dominant.
“Rosie Won’t You Please Come Home” is that cited exception, cut instead in Nashville with Mark Spencer on guitar and bass and Ken Coomer on drums and percussion. Darby sings and plays electric as the mood drifts into folk-rock territory with touches of surf-twang. “It’s All Wrong” hits like a demo for an early ’60s pop single, hanging around outside the Brill Building with a hint of the Everly Brothers in the mix. “And What Goes On” is pretty yet sturdy, while “Dear Jane” is sparser with its intertwined guitars.
Darby is in fine voice and plays quite well throughout, but Otterson’s strongest attribute is the consistency of the songwriting. The songs do resonate with range, as “Sunday is Waiting,” “Read the Bible,” and closer “Oh Susanna” are a bit reminiscent of early Low when Mimi Parker sang.
“We Are Free” and “Seattle is Fine” offer exquisite folk-pop, chiming and glistening, both are standout tracks from the album. Opening with the rumble of thunder, “Say Goodbye” is delivered with an undercurrent of tension that extends into the darker-toned “Sara,” another album highlight. “Raindog” has a touch of lyrical sadness about it that’s distinct in Otterson’s overall scheme. The bottom line is that anyone who values the wispy gal-folk troubadours of decades past should lend an ear to Diana Darby’s work as it transpires in the here and now.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
