South Hadley's Kimaya Diggs Rebuilt Her Voice After Surgery. 'Green' Is the First Album She Sings at Full Power
The Western Massachusetts singer, songwriter and producer cut the soul-and-R&B-rooted record in Nashville with Dr. Dog drummer Erick Slick, engineered about a quarter of it herself and is making a video for every song.
Massachusetts R&B doesn't only live in Boston. Kimaya Diggs grew up in South Hadley, near the edge of the Mount Holyoke College campus, and her new album "Green," out since Oct. 2, is a record about New England land, home and who belongs in it, according to the album's release materials published by The Urban Music Scene.
The backstory is the hook. Diggs had vocal surgery seven years ago and spent a long time rebuilding. "Green" is the first album she feels she could sing with the full power of her restored voice. It's also the one where she took control of the recording. She wanted it anchored by groove, so she started with the drummer, and went wherever that drummer was. That was Nashville, where she cut basic tracks over three days at Barnfire Creative with Erick Slick of Dr. Dog and a band put together with bassist Rhees Williams, a friend from her performing arts high school. Jacob Rosazza and Ben Sanders added production, Scott Hundley mixed, and Diggs engineered roughly a quarter of the record herself.
"I know what this story is supposed to be," she said. "And I think that is what I need to get the story told."
The influences are straight soul: Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Minnie Riperton, Donny Hathaway, Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo and, above all, Corinne Bailey Rae. Diggs remembers hearing "Put Your Records On" in a shoe store as a kid and writing down the lyrics under the speaker. "I had never heard a song where I saw myself reflected," she said.
The singles cover a lot of ground. "Plants (Still Grow)," with a video by Eli Howe, is a love letter to a New England summer. "I Know That I'm Perfect" runs her voice through a distorted mic made from an old telephone, aimed at an ex who tried to pressure her into having children, a song she calls a conduit for "the rage that comes with being made a side character in a man's story." "Dance With Me" is the lighter one. The release materials also say the record wrestles with being a Black and Desi artist in a mostly white farm town.
Dez's take: This one's not rap, and it's not trying to be Boston. It's Western Mass soul made by somebody who had to earn her voice back. That counts. She's doing a video for every song, which is a big swing for an independent artist.
She played a hometown release show at Northampton's Academy of Music Theatre Oct. 10 with Alisa Amador, and has tour dates into early 2027, including a January show opening for Mavis Staples in Bellingham, Washington.
What we still don't know: whether a Boston date is on that tour list.
