Diable Has What It Takes

Some people say that she’s “the Female John Mayer.” Perhaps it’s more accurate to call her a Mayer-in-training—for the moment, at least. Kristin Diable, a guitar-playing singer/songwriter from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is quickly gaining a loyal following not only through her live shows, but also through the Internet medium, much like Mayer did when he was first starting out as an unsigned artist. You might even say that she has her own Inside Wants Out—except hers is called In My Mind—which she sells on her website (www.kristindiable.com).

In My Mind is a five-song CD that showcases Diable’s sweet-sounding voice and her ability to write catchy, mellow pop songs that reveal her often introspective and optimistic outlooks on life. With song topics ranging from attempting to find a way to express how much you love someone (If I Can) to trying to convince a friend to stop wanting to feel bad about him/herself (Struggle), Diable covers the sort of subject matter that people like to discuss when they want to have a serious and contemplative conversation. Her lyrics may not be as witty or have as high a catchphrase factor as Mayer’s, but you get the sense that her writing is sincere and actually comes from the heart more than just the head.

Every track has a memorable hook, but song #2, Excuse You, is definitely the most radio-friendly of them all. The sing-a-long-able chorus can stick in your head for days. (It’s also interesting to note that Mike Einziger of Incubus plays guitar for the tune.) Diable manages to sound mature, attractive, and intelligent when she sings, which is an important combination of adjectives for a voice to possess when a record doesn’t have the flashy production values to otherwise distract the listener.

Now that it seems a renewed interest in young singer/songwriter types is emerging (case in point: Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, Norah Jones, Mayer, etc.), Kristin Diable definitely has what it takes to make it in “the Real World.”