Our Pick: Ali Fontaine — Diamond in the Rough

Artist—Ali Fontaine
Song—He's Bout To Lose
Album—Diamond in the Rough
Year—2012

In a generation of emerging youthful music performers, Ali Fontaine is a fresh and passionate singer. Her songs are heartfelt to the point you can feel her pain, her frustration, her love and commitment to living life as a young person navigating relationships. It’s that passionate investment that puts her in a position to stand in with any Lilith Fair lineup that goes beyond being a role model to other young women. This album is a collection of songs that tells a story of a young woman adapting to relationships in love and the world around her. Make no mistake, Fontaine’s album will appeal musically to far more than the feminine half of the human race. This somewhat easy listening album has appeal to anyone that wants to just relax and hear some catchy songs with warm, rich singing.

Fontaine’s vocal style instantly draws you into the subject of her songs as if she’s sharing some secret just between the two of you. The musicianship never over shadows her vocals and always compliments, keeping it interesting for those that tend to focus on the music and melodies rather than the words. For example, He’s Bout To Lose is a bright little rocker while Stronger utilizes a little banjo to give it a roots feel usually reserved for country music. Fight For You is a slowly swaying song while Aviators is a snappy upbeat melody. Diamond In The Rough is the title track that is Fontaine’s self identifying song that pulls the rest of this collection in line of where she is at. If this release is Fontaine in the Rough, one can only wonder how smoothly she will mature in future releases.

You can purchase Ali Fontaine’s album on iTunes.