Dilana Invites Us Back "InsideOut"

In our current on-demand world, we have gotten used to having every piece of art ever created at our fingertips at all time. Nothing we could think of is more than a click away, or at least that's what we have grown to assume. Like almost all rules, that one is not universal either. There are still songs and records that are harder to hear, that still require us to do some work to get the reward. Some music drifts out of sight, not just denying us the ability to easily listen to it, but denying the artists the opportunity for new fans to fall in love the same way we did.

Thankfully, that reality is being put to rest for Dilana's "InsideOut", which is returning to the digital space on June 26th. It is a record that still resonates, that still showcases Dilana's genius, and that still calls out for us to hear it. As I wrote last year, commemorating it's ten year anniversary:

"InsideOut" is not a perfect album, and that's what makes it so great. It is the story of Dilana stretching herself in all directions, finding her voice as an artist. It is far different from "Wonderfool", an album I didn't yet know existed, and is yet more different from "Beautiful Monster", the record that would show Dilana's artistic soul fully developed. "InsideOut" is the metamorphosis, wherein Dilana emerged a tattooed butterfly, her songs a dazzling rainbow like the multi-colored ink adorning her skin. It is also the metamorphoses wherein I went from being a fan of her voice, to a devoted follower of an artist.

I have written before about my love for "Falling Apart", which is my favorite song of all time, so I won't rehash that story yet again. Suffice it to say, I get the same tingle down my spine listening to Dilana's power rising atop the crunchy guitars and roaring organ that I did when I first saw a video of her playing it live, in terrible quality, when finding live footage on YouTube was still a big deal.

If nothing else, "InsideOut" is a diverse record. Across the dozen songs, Dilana gives us her versions of pop, gritty rock, Zeppelin-esque epics, and soul-bearing ballads. The only common theme is her voice, and how she uses it to paint her masterpieces in vivid color.

I  am not someone who feels things deeply, let alone from art, but I don't know how to listen to "Dirty Little Secret" without feeling every ounce of pain Dilana puts into her performance. When I say that a singer's job is to convey the song's meaning, this is what I mean. Even if I have never been in that position, and I can't relate on a human level to the situation she's singing about, her soul flows through her voice in a way no vocal coach could teach. Meat Loaf often said he viewed his role as that of an actor bringing the characters in the songs to life. Dilana is the complete opposite, using her every breath to give the songs life, her life.

Dilana amazes in other ways. When we reach the ends of "Solid Gold" and "Still Wanting", she reached into the deep and belts out notes hard to believe, such is the power and ease with which she sings. And unlike most singers, even when she sings loud enough to consume the space the entire band would occupy, her tone is pure. She is a mystery to this day.

Now, thanks to the digital re-release of "InsideOut", we can all experience the record again like it's the first time, even if we've spent the last ten years listening to it all along. Again, as I said last year:

If my finding Dilana was an inexplicable moment in time, "InsideOut" is the hourglass on a humid summer day, the sands glued together and refusing to let another second pass. I am still in that moment, all these years later, and that is never going to change.

Now, we can all live in that moment. Don't miss out on the opportunity to hear one of the great records that had been difficult to find. There is so much detail in every note Dilana sings, the way it pours through the speakers as if she is wrapping her voice around your soul. And to top it all off, there's even an extra bonus song we didn't get before. You can't go wrong. Go listen to it. Now. Do it.