4-14-2013

“…the angels of folk music. Ethereal, eloquent and downright beautiful, the music they create is faultlessly performed.” – Exclaim!

DALA features vocal harmonies guaranteed to give you chills. Duo members Sheila and Amanda make use of their considerable talents on guitar and piano to create a unique brand of acoustic pop. Their fun and energetic stage presence has made DALA a fan favorite at festivals across the country.

Since the release of their debut, This Moment is a Flash (2005), the response from fans and critics alike to their insightful brand of acoustic pop has been uniformly enthusiastic. Their 2009 release, Everyone is Someone, received critical acclaim in the EU as well as in North America, with The Irish Post lauding it as the Album of the Year, and National Public Radio’s ‘Folk Alley’ calling ‘Horses’ one of the Top Ten folk songs of 2009. In Canada, Everyone is Someone garnered Dala their fifth Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA) nomination and a Toronto Independent Music Award for Best Folk Group. Additionally, their 2010 live CD/DVD, Girls From The North Country, won the pair a 2010 CFMA for Vocal Group of the Year, a JUNO nomination for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Group and was broadcast repeatedly by PBS outlets throughout North America.

On their fifth studio record, Best Day, Dala’s central message is as simple as it is compelling; if you’re unwilling to celebrate the impermanence of life as well as its constants in equal measure, you’re cheating yourself.

It’s a sentiment the Toronto-based duo of Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine express concisely on the album’s title track, Best Day, and a reflection of the way they look at both their individual lives and their musical partnership. “Life is short,” Walther says. “You don’t know how long you have with the people you love, so you need to live every moment to the fullest, which isn’t a bad thing to be reminded of frequently.” This is just a great album. Some records you have to spin multiple times to feel close to and to be inspired by the sentiments they express. With Best Day, it takes one listen – if that.