Top 10 Diane Birch Songs

Feature Photo: Blackfrances1, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our top 10 Diane Birch songs article presents a showcase of stunningly beautiful, heartfelt songs that, sadly, not enough people have discovered in this world. One of the reasons why I started this site, in fact probably the main reason I started this site about 12 or 13 years ago, was to present great music for people to discover. Discovering music goes way back to my teenage years, something we all share. Remember how you would find a new band or new album that no one in your school had ever heard of, and how much fun it was to play that record for your friends, watching their faces light up hearing music they had never heard before and being completely blown away by it. I did that with bands like Rush, Meatloaf, and so many others when I first discovered these records in a record store, basically because of the cover. Interestingly, it’s the same way I found Diane Birch in the 2000s, wading through one of those discount racks, finding her CD, looking at the cover, and thinking, “This is probably pretty good,” just a feeling.

So, this article is all about showcasing this incredible artist named Diane Birch, who writes music like it was 1973. But it’s not just about writing music in a particular style or genre; it’s about writing great music. Great is probably not strong enough for her—this is phenomenal stuff, from the lyrics, chord changes, melodies, to the astonishing vocal performances. Her first album, Bible Belt, will blow your mind. She hasn’t released much music in the 20 years she’s been recording, but what she has is stunning. If you’re going to discover her, the best place to start is her first album, Bible Belt, and then fill out the rest of your collection. But don’t just take my word for it; listen to the songs below, especially the last couple of songs on this list. This stuff will blow your mind.

# 10 – Pretty In Pain

We open our list with the deeply emotional “Pretty in Pain” from Diane Birch’s second studio album, Speak a Little Louder, released in 2013. The album is darker than Bible Belt, something that makes sense given that Birch lost her father that year. Written by Diane Birch and the great Betty Wright, “Pretty in Pain” is exactly what the title says it is—trying to hold yourself together when everything inside is falling apart. Birch sings it with so much soul that the pain never feels manufactured for a second.

# 9 – Photograph

Next up is “Photograph” from Bible Belt, an album I still believe stands as one of the most impressive records released in the past forty or fifty years. It is amazing that this record was not a much bigger commercial success because there is not a weak song on it. “Photograph” is pure Diane Birch—soulful, melodic, heartbreaking, and beautifully sung. It carries the same kind of emotional pull you hear on great Laura Nyro or classic Hall & Oates records, and it is one more reason this album is so hard to stop playing once you discover it.

# 8 – This Corrosion

In the number eight spot, we present the only cover on this list, Diane Birch’s version of “This Corrosion.” Written by Andrew Eldritch and originally recorded by The Sisters of Mercy, Birch tackled the song with the Phenomenal Handclap Band on the 2010 EP The Velveteen Age. Her version takes that huge goth-rock song and turns it into something soulful, strange, haunting, and completely her own. When an artist can cover a song this recognizable and still make you hear it in a different way, that tells you just how gifted she is.

# 7 – All The Love You Got

“All the Love You Got” is one of the standout tracks on Speak a Little Louder and was co-written by Diane Birch and Eg White. This one moves away from some of the warmer ’70s soul of Bible Belt and into a darker, more modern sound without losing what makes Birch so special. Her voice is still the center of everything, but the guitars, bass, keyboards, and percussion give the song a moody edge that fits it perfectly. It’s another great example of how she can change the surroundings without ever losing her identity.

# 6 – Fire Escape

It would have been very easy to fill this entire list with songs from Bible Belt, and “Fire Escape” is one of the big reasons why. It opens the album with that gospel-soul feeling that reminds me of a blend between Aretha Franklin and Carole King, yet it still sounds completely like Diane Birch. I still can’t understand how this song was not a huge hit. I found this album sitting in a used discount bin and bought it because something about the cover told me it might be special. “Fire Escape” proved that hunch right almost immediately.

# 5 – Wind Machine

On April 12, 2024, Diane Birch finally returned with Flying on Abraham, more than a decade after Speak a Little Louder, and it was worth the wait. The album leans closer to the soulful spirit of Bible Belt while still sounding like a record made in the 2020s. “Wind Machine” had first been shared back in 2019 before becoming the opening track on Flying on Abraham, and it remains one of the best examples of Birch’s ability to wrap unusual imagery, beautiful chord changes, and that unmistakable voice into one unforgettable song.

# 4 – Valentino

From here on, we are staying with Bible Belt because much of the reason for writing this article is to share Diane Birch’s music with people who may have never heard her before. “Valentino” is one of those songs you want to play for somebody immediately. The video is wonderfully original, and the song has that soulful, ’70s Motown-inspired feeling, beautiful background harmonies, great chord changes, and an incredible vocal. Take your time with this one. If Diane Birch is new to you, “Valentino” is the kind of song that makes you wonder where this music has been all your life.

# 3 – Fools

If you watch the video for “Fools,” there is a shot of Diane Birch sitting on a windowsill that immediately reminds me of Carole King’s Tapestry, and you can hear some of that same spirit in the music. The piano, bass, and phenomenal singing feel like they came straight out of the early ’70s. This is genuine music written and performed by a real human being, and that is a big part of why I love it so much. “Fools” is only the third track on Bible Belt, which tells you just how ridiculously strong this album is.

# 2 – Rewind

The final two songs on this list are hands down two of the most beautiful, soulful, and brilliantly written tracks I have heard in the past forty or fifty years. “Rewind” begins with a mesmerizing piano lick and just keeps pulling you deeper into the song. Bible Belt is filled with incredible musicians, including Cindy Blackman, Lou Marini, Lenny Pickett, George Porter Jr., Adam Blackstone, and Lenny Kaye, but none of that would matter without the songs. “Rewind” is heartbreaking, original, and stunning from beginning to end. If this article gets one more person to hear it, then it has done its job.

# 1 – Nothing but a Miracle

We close out our Diane Birch song list with her phenomenal original recording “Nothing But a Miracle.” I have always believed that with the right record-company support and promotion, this song could have been a number one record on a worldwide scale. It is that strong. Diane Birch wrote it, and everything about the recording—from the melody and piano to the rhythm section and that unbelievable vocal—works. There really is no point in overexplaining a song this good. Sit down, press play, and listen. If you have never heard it before, I think you’re going to be completely stunned. You’ll be sending us your thanks.