Dala – Who Do You Think You Are & Everyone Is Someone
I first heard Dala back in 2009, thanks to a deep dive into CDBaby’s new releases pool. The ladies had just sent their latest CD and, after hearing the melodic beauty and innocence of their songs, I fell for them hook, line, and sinker. The voices were angelic, the songs heavenly, the harmonies ethereal. The songs were … well, let us just say that they appealed equally to pre-teen girls, ladies of all ages, and this curmudgeonly ancient man. They were Canadian and had not quite broken out of America’s Hat yet, but one could tell they would, and not long after, too. I suppose I should say that they were beautiful and still are, not that it matters. The music, the attitude – that is what matters. Ten listens in and I wanted to turn the world on to these ladies. So I sat down and wrote this:
Not too many people in the States could tell you who Dala was before this year’s Newport Folk Festival where they earned a short stint on the main stage after stealing crowds during their set on the smallest. Hell, not too many could tell you even now, but they’ll get there. You don’t get asked to play the main stage at Newport. You are scheduled. The crowd reaction there is the stuff of legend and if it doesn’t turn media heads, the media is as dead as a lot of young people think. Tell you what, let us assume that they are. Let us bypass the talking heads and their oppressive machine – step over their twitching carcasses, so to speak – and walk toward the light.
My first exposure was to their 2007 release, Who Do You Think You Are, received a couple of weeks before this year’s Everyone Is Someone, and I have not had a one-two punch quite like it in some time. Good pop is a balance of melody, harmony and hooks and there is enough on these two albums to float a battleship. You want a caravan of what they used to call AM hits, they’re here. Light pop with spacey instrumentals, incredible harmonies and a good beat? Line them up: “Anywhere Under the Moon” (the harmonies would make “Rhiannon”-era Fleetwood Mac happy), “Marilyn Monroe” (Junior High magic even adults can love), “Don’t Wait” (more Junior High magic – ah, to be young again), “Alive” (another Fleetwood Mac-like beauty) … Like the softer side? Try “Hockey Sweater” (Everly Brothers harmonies and a bridge that rips my heart out), “The Sweetest Ones” (just Dala doing what they do best – harmonize), “Crushed” (almost hymnal in structure with bottomless background vocals), “Stand In Awe” (the title should give you a clue), “Horses” (“…they don’t care that I am broken…”)…..
You probably guessed that they can sing (or that at least I think they can), but let me tell you something about songwriting. It ain’t easy. Some writers nail the music, some nail the lyrics, but seldom do you see writers constantly nail both. Well, here you go. Not a bad track on either album thanks to an ability to handle a wide variety of topics from Junior High life to romantic angst to True Love. Hell, they even mention hockey and Winnipeg! I tell you, you hear these albums and you will remember Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine (who are Dala) and Mike Roth, who helped write a number of the songs.
Mike Roth, in fact, deserves way more than a cursory mention. His production is slick, true, but you need slick production to pull off Pop like this (though the girls do it live too) and he pulls it off in spades. Not one knob twisted wrong, not one note out of place. An amazing job.
You know how you can tell when Pop is as good as it can be? When the do-do-do’s and the la-la-la’s and the na-na-na’s add to rather than detract from the song. Simple as that. You’re probably thinking, oh yeah? In this case, oh yeah, and then some. I positively love Pop when it’s done right and this is it. Dala has given me 22 excellent examples of why music is as strong as ever. They deserve to be stars. They’re on their way. And I honestly think they might make it.
And they have, sports fans. They worked their tails off and now have a following well beyond what I imagined.
If you are the least bit intrigued, you can check out the girls by clicking here. Their albums are available through Compass Records here in the States. Here is the link.