Alicia Viani
Artist Information
- Label: independent release
- Genre: folk / singer-songwriter
- Hometown: Bend, OR
- Influences: Laura Marling, Bonnie Raitt, Astral Weeks
- Sounds like: Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Laura Marling
Biography
“I had this memory of people having guitars no matter where we were,” songwriter Alicia Viani says of her childhood, much of which was spent overseas, “and how easy it is to share music with people, which speaks to the entire point of why we play songs—to connect and not feel alone.”
This sentiment runs through Viani’s self-titled debut album, coloring her thoughtfully penned songs with a tenderness that becomes familiar throughout the record. Viani, who is now based out of Bend, Oregon, learned to understand the power of music while growing up and traveling abroad. One constant, whether she was in Japan or Indonesia, was that music was always available as a deep form of connection, despite language barriers. She recalls an especially potent memory from her time spent in Mongolia as an adult, when she learned and sang folk songs with her host family while riding horses.
“I would never have dreamed that I would be in that spot on the planet so far away from anything familiar, and that I could feel so connected. I don’t even have words for it—how cool it is to feel fully connected to another human being despite massive differences, because we can sing together. That’s something I’m always striving for.”
Viani’s desire for utmost connection is embodied by the sensitive ballads that make up Alicia Viani. Each of her songs is commanded by a voice that feels entirely human, turning moments of deep complexity and heartbreak into warm country-folk that finds easy paths into the heart, much like the musical moments she cherishes from her childhood.
No matter who the speaker is in her songs, Viani’s sincere vocals paint them to life. The arrangements are simple, yet perfect, with an easy, natural rhythm section and tasteful instrumentation that leave space for the lyrics to breathe. The songs are wholly absorbing as they carry the listener from one private world to the next, each imploring to be discovered.
Alicia Viani was tracked live in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Amy Speace and engineered and mixed by Thomm Jutz (Mac Wiseman, Nanci Griffith). It also features Mark Karwan, Justin Moses (Dan Tyminski), Jen Gunderman (Sheryl Crow), Lynn Williams. It is slated for release in the spring of 2020.
