In these difficult times, singer-songwriter Laila Biali releases an album that has a lesson for all of us. She’s had a roller-coaster few years with success and adversity mixed together and the result is her latest album: Out of Dust.

Biali is clear about her inspiration. She says: “These new songs took shape as I processed my own feelings of doubt and loss. I believe that nothing is wasted, that even life's greatest trials can produce something meaningful, if only to make us more empathetic to the struggles of those around us.” 

And so comes Out of Dust, right when we need something uplifting. The first track is Revival and that’s exactly what we need right now, with socialising out of the question, bars, restaurants, music venues and even churches closed. Our own revivals will have to take place while we self-isolate.

Biali’s self-titled album from 2018 won the Canadian Juno award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, and Out of Dust confirms the singer’s jazz credentials. With personal challenges, she is celebrating her rise through adversity and although there is something intensely personal about the album, it also provides something for all of us - inspirational songs, brilliantly performed by the whole ensemble.

Co-produced by Biali and her husband, drummer Ben Wittman, the album also includes an impressive set of musicians, including several Grammy award winners, especially the soprano sax of Godwin Louis, which seems particularly matched to Biali’s vocals.

There’s a beautiful cover version of Gregory Porter’s Take Me to the Alley,  the only track not penned by Biali herself. But for now, it is the album’s final track - Take the Day Off - which we all need. In these difficult times we all feel the need to “pull the sheets over your head”. So take some time off and listen to Out of Dust.

Listen to her gorgeous version of Take Me To The Alley here:

Out Of Dust is released on March 27th on ACT Music.