Review: 'Analog Girl In A Digital World' by Arielle

Arielle

By Mike O’Cull

Extraordinary guitarist, songwriter, and singer Arielle gives it to us straight and strong on her new album Analog Girl In A Digital World. It’s an independent effort set to explode into the world May 7th, 2021 that puts Arielle at the vanguard of the New Wave of Classic Rock that’s been building up steam over the last few years. She’s an old-school musician with an inborn love for the soul and sound of the 60s and 70s and a dedication to achieving the level of craft required to succeed in those pre-computer days. One of her biggest supporters is legendary guitarist Brian May from Queen, who is so impressed with Arielle that he is releasing an Arielle signature guitar called “The Arielle” through his company Brian May Guitars. It’s the first instrument he has put out that isn’t based on his famous “Red Special” guitar, which is a major endorsement of Arielle’s talent and ability.

Arielle was a child prodigy who began studying music at just five years old. She went on to earn a degree from Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles and continued her education at London’s Institute of Contemporary Music Performance. She was first discovered in 2010 by Extreme’s guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and signed with the American indie label Open E. She built her rep the hard way, touring and playing with the like of Heart, Joan Jett, Graham Nash, Country Joe McDonald, Joe Bonamassa, Guns N’ Roses, members of Deep Purple, Billy Ray Cyrus, Eric Johnson, Gregg Allman, Keith Urban and Cee Lo Green. At age 18, she was personally selected by Brian May for an important role in the London-based musical ‘We Will Rock You,’ an amazing show built around the music of Queen. She has released nine albums/EP’s to date, one of which placed on 11 chart genres in 2017 independently, including #3 on the Heatseekers Chart.

Analog Girl In A Digital World starts off with the trippy intro piece “Dial Up,” which contains the sounds of an old computer connecting to the internet via a phone line. Arielle asks listeners what they’d have left if the online environment crashed, a question that sets the tone for everything she does. “Digital World” comes next and is an anthem filled with a deep longing for the analog days. It’s an outstanding pop/rock track from a soul born out of time and highlights many of the simple pleasures those days were all about. Her guitar work is tasty, melodic, and cuts right to the point, supporting the song perfectly.

“Peace Of Mind” is a sweet, radio-ready mid-tempo cut that’s also the new record’s first single. The track is carried by a jangling electric 12-string part that imparts some true vintage character to it and feels great underneath the vocals. Again, a brief, memorable guitar solo occupies the middle but the song itself reigns supreme. Arielle’s understanding and connection to the spirit of true song-oriented rock music are plain to hear and she’s unstoppable once she puts her own essence into the mix.

“Inside & Outside” is a gorgeous acoustic number with an echo of Stevie Nicks in the verses. It’s a song about loving the interior heart of someone, not just what’s visible on their exterior. Arielle delivers one of the record’s most emotive and engaging vocal takes on this one and her high notes will straight-up melt you. Other tracks of interest include “I’d Rather Be In England,” “Still A Man,” and “Living In A Fortress.” Analog Girl In A Digital World is an uncommon record that never speaks any language but its own. Arielle has the chops, smarts, and vision to become a huge success on her own terms and, if you haven’t heard her yet, you’d better get to it. Highly recommended.

Watch “Inside & Outside”