• East Bay Express, Berkeley, CA December 1, 1995
• Dirty Linen #58 June/July 1995
• Entre Nous, February, 1995
• Flint Hills Extra, KANU, Lawrence, Kansas
• Talking Leaves, Samhain/Winter Solstice 1994
• Ladyslipper, 1994/95
• Victory Review, December 1994
• Womyn's Press Nov/Dec 1994
• Sing Out!, Vol. 39 #4
• John O'Regan, Rock 'n Reel, UK, Issue 21

East Bay Express, Berkeley, CA December 1, 1995

Lee Hildebrand

The Oregon-based folk singer-guitarist's octave-leaping voice recalls Rory Block's in it's gorgeous elasticity and Tracy Chapman's in it's warm resonance. She uses it like a knife to cut to the emotional core of blues standards like "Trouble In Mind" and such self-penned odes a "Like A Picture" (about the plight of Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney) and the brilliantly sardonic "The TV Song." "Naked," Di Micele's latest CD on the Alice Otter Music label, is highly recommended as is this one-night engagement. 8pm FREIGHT AND SALVAGE, 1111 Addison St. Berkeley. 549-1761

Dirty Linen #58 June/July 1995

Alice Di Micele's fifth album, Naked, consists of a dozen tunes (11 originals and a jazzy cover of"Trouble In Mind") recorded in the studio and at live performances. Settings for the songs are generally simple, mostly just Di Micele and her guitar. Di Micele has a potent round-toned voice that carries echoes of Phoebe Snow. "I Don't Know What It Is" celebrates the courage needed to weather life's tougher storms. "Pretty Blue" captures the thrill of unexpectedly encountering a great blue heron. The unaccompanied "Like A Picture" is a strongly expressed but musically strident protest song. "Out Of Control" is an exuberant road song that is enhanced by Brian Pice's lively fiddling. Di Micele is a powerful singer and writer who capably expresses her passion for life and truth through her music.(MP)

Entre Nous, February, 1995

Laura J. Rinaldi

Naked music in Alice Di Micele's fifth solo album "Naked", she presents songs from 1989-1984. The album is a a combination of live performances and studio recordings; the music ranges from the blues to contemporary folk to rock. As usual, this album includes songs of the environment, as well as songs of surviving abuse and the horrors of TV.

Actually, "The TV Song" speaks of how wonderful TV is, but it is a back-handed compliment. You can hear her audience laugh as she sings.

"I wish I had a blowdryer, then I could dry my head. Then I'd look like Barbie, I'd go out, find Ken and go to bed."

In "Out of Control," Di Micele sings of recognizing that we move too fast through life without getting anywhere. The song has a lively pace, with a bit of blue grass thrown in. There's a fiddle solo in there.

And for those who need to hear topical messages, there is "Make It Last" about cultures dying with no one to carry on the traditions. The world loses the stories and wisdom that people have carried with them as the race dies off.

Di Micele's press package describes her work as contemporary acoustic music with roots in the natural world. I would add that she has a sharp eye for injustices, but just as sharp an eye for the beauty of life, as demonstrated in the song "Pretty Blue" about the pleasure of seeing that great bird in the wild. Check her out.

Flint Hills Extra, KANU, Lawrence, Kansas

"Naked" is an apt title for this collection from the passionate, forth right Di Micele, who bares her powerful emotions in a clear, strong, voice given to octave leaps and showcased in a sparsely produced setting. Highlights include "Bring Back the Rain", where the soaring wordless vocal ending sums up the power in the previous lyrics. She gets bluesy on "Trouble in Mind," dips in a bluegrass/country vein on "Out of Control," and blends nicely with Brian Price's fiddle on a celebratory "Pretty Blue," about sighting a great blue heron. The title track, fittingly done a cappella, is a powerful conclusion to an album which deserves attention.

Talking Leaves, Samhain/Winter Solstice 1994

Chris Roth

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Alice Di Micele, perhaps the Northwest's premier environmentally oriented folk musician, has created another beautiful album. Influenced stylistically by jazz and blues, Alice's music combines the personal, the political, and the ecological, with an empowering message and memorable melodies that lead many audiences to sing along with her. Alice's voice, unique, strong, with impressive range, has never sounded better, and the "live" quality of these concert and studio acoustic performances help make them as fresh, spontaneous, and "right" as anything she's ever done.

"If I could move peoples minds," Alice sings, "I'd turn them inside out/Just to hear all the loud ones quiet, and the quiet ones all shout/ Give the secrets caged in silence the space to sing out." Alice helps those secrets to sing out, whether she is writing of endangered native cultures ("Make It Last"), jailed and framed activists ("Like A Picture"), lonliness ("Trouble In Mind", "Wake Up In the Morning Blues"), survivors of addiction, abuse, or trauma ("I Don't Know What It Is"), or ecological/personal loss ("Bring Back the Rain").

She combines this honesty with humor and simple joy, creating music that is consistently inspiring. The catchy and satirical "TV Song" and "Out of Control" prepare us for the beautiful "Gentle Breeze" and "Pretty Blue", which celebrate connection with earth, with life, with love. Alice's music's deep appeal arises in part from the universality of the human emotions and experiences it expresses: for, as the closing track points out, "underneath the clothes [we're] wearing...when it's said and done, We're all just naked." A superlative album; liker her four previous recordings, and like any of her concerts, not to be missed.

Ladyslipper, 1994/95

This 1994 release was recorded live, in studio and concert, to capture the spirit of her performances. Her wide-ranged voice is at it's best here, with a variety of styles, from the folky Bring Back the Rain to the jazzy If I Could Move The World to the hilarious TV Song. Included are 2 woman-identified blues numbers with the terrific jazz guitar of Mimi Fox, and two tunes with violin. Topics include love, personal healing, activism, travelling, and defending diversity. Acoustic music doesn't get any better than this-highly recommended!

Victory Review, December 1994

Nicki De

Returning with those rich McIlwanian vocal chords, this may be Di Micele's best album yet! A tad more subtle in her social comment, she still makes her point with mature lyrics, vocals and instrumentation. After all, this album is about life being easier when we're just who we are. As the title cut declares, "when it's said and done, We're all just Naked..." From the traditional blues sound of "Trouble In Mind" to capturing a live audience with "The TV Song," Di Micele's versaltility shines. Stripping down to her voice, alone, she shares some acappella blues, ("Naked") and ballad, ("Like A Picture"). A couple of my favorites here are "Pretty Blue," a poignant tale about the grace of a Great Blue Heron, and "Wake Up In the Morning Blues," just that.

Womyn's Press Nov/Dec 1994

Natasha Bruckner

Folk singer Alice Di Micele, widely known for her feminist, environmental and politically active lyricism, has released her fifth solo album. "Naked" is an impressive, eloquent compilation of diverse moods and musical styles. Alice's fans will cherish this collection and new listeners will be easily converted. The album opens with a thoughtful canticle, "Bring Back the Rain," lamenting drought as physical reality and emotional metaphor. The remaining eleven songs range from playful satirism ("I wish I had a blow dryer so I could dry my head; Then I'd look like Barbie, go out, find Ken and go to bed," jokes "The TV Song") to haunting tributes about vanishing cultures and a Great "Pretty Blue" Heron. A striking acapella ballad documents the terror and violence suffered by Earth First!ers Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney, who were framed "Like A Picture" by the FBI.

Whether she is belting the blues or crooning a gentle love song, Alice ignites every melody with heartfelt sincerity and awe-inspiring musical talent.

"I sing from my soul with love and reverence for all life. I hope you can feel it," Alice wrote on the jacket of "Naked." Yes, we feel it. The rich depth of Alice's soulful voice and arresting lyrics touches the impressionable place in us, below words, which recognizes and revels in the passion and tenderness she so fearlessly expressed. In a society (and music industry) that barrages us with lurid, glossed imagery and superficial "glamor," Alice's unassuming honesty is a welcome alternative. She succeeds in stripping artifice and revealing a "naked" core which is raw, emotionally complex and unexpectedly beautiful.

Sing Out!, Vol. 39 #4

Laura Post

Alice Di Micele is gathering a devoted following in her Pacific Northwest homeland: no surprise, given the directness of her lyrics and the simplicity of her delivery in her past four self-produced recordings. Here, Di Micele turns more toward jazz flavorings, and her voice-always clear, always true-seems fuller, bigger, smoother. Two acapella songs ("Like A Picture" and the title track, both addressing prejudice) highlight this new strength. And jazz great Mimi Fox joins her on acoustic guitar for "Trouble In Mind."

Di Micele's writing has grown in complexity. In "Bring Back the Rain," she uses the metaphor of a dry creek bed to convey various meanings of loss. Later a sequel to these open-ended thoughts appears in "The Gentle Breeze" advocating, as it does, zen patience and organic fluctuations in power.

Di Micele is more of a hoper than a dreamer, however. A series of tunes ("If I Could Move the World", "Make It Last", and "Pretty Blue") tell different stories with a similar punch line: Human history is precious: nature is precious: love is precious. These refrains have permeated Di Micele's previous work, yet these songs are more sophisticated, tauter emotionally.

Finally, Di Micele did not omit her signature folkie blasts at the industrialized establishment. "I Don't Know What It Is" (about addiction and abuse in the modern world), "The TV Song" (about the violence inherent in popular culture) and "Out of Control" (about the self-awareness of being overwhelmed) provide a compelling look at the root of the problem to which there are no answers except continuing to write, play, and sing.

Rock 'n Reel, UK, Issue 21

John O'Regan

When an album cover stares you in the face with the title "Naked" it sounds as if the contents are being rolled in front of you like film credits. Alice Di Micele, a singer/songwriter from Oregon, USA, is not one to mince her words. Her lyrics are sharp and direct and hit the targets each time. "Bring Back the Rain" recalls early Joni Mitchell while the 'oldie' "Trouble In Mind" gets a retuning with a new last verse. This lady's no shrinking violet. "Like A Picture" and "I Don't Know What It Is" address social concern and survival, while "The Gentle Breeze" is an eloquent love song. "Naked" shows a talent noteworthy in the extreme.