Record Reviews

DOROTA BAROVA ~ ILUZJA ANIMAL MUSIC 073 (Barcode: 8594155991365) ~ CZECH REPUBLIC ~ Jazz & Poetry Recorded: 2018 Released: 2018 This is the debut album as a leader by Czech vocalist / cellist / songwriter Dorota BarovaFind albums by this artist, recorded with guitarist Jakub VejnarFind albums by this artist and bassist Miroslav ChyskaFind albums by this artist, who play on six of the album’s ten tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all composed by Barova except one composed by pianist Beata HlavenkovaFind albums by this artist, who also sings and plays on that track. The remaining three tracks are performed by Barova, using multitracked vocals and cello. Barova wrote the lyrics to four of the tracks, four other were written by Polish journalist and lyricist Teresa DrozdaFind albums by this artist and the last two by Polish poet Krzysztof Kamil BaczynskiFind albums by this artist. All the lyrics are in the Polish language and Barova sings them in Polish, crediting her love of that language to her Mother, who is Polish (although Polish and Czech languages have many similarities and both belong to the Slavic languages group, they are also quite distinct). The music is an obvious example of my beloved Jazz & Poetry idiom, and is definitely one of the finest examples of this Artistic genre that landed on my desk lately. Thy music is uniquely beautiful, full of intrinsic lyricism, but also quite complex, multilayered and intricate, despite the fact that it utilizes a limited instrumental range. The excellent sound recording (Milan CimfeFind albums by this artist again) enables listening to each and every little nuance, which this album is absolutely packed with. The album is full of ingenious trickery, using unconventional instrumentation and a complex multilayered combination of vocal and instrumental tracks, which turn the seemingly limited, almost minimalist range into a brilliant kaleidoscope of sounds, all fitting together brilliantly. Barova utilizes her vocal and instrumental abilities to the max, achieving an unprecedented harmoniously coherent result. Combined with the excellent lyrics, the overall result is simply irresistible. Overall this album is a wonderful example of intelligent, sensitive, inventive and highly aesthetic music making, which offers a distinctive statement, breaks new ground and challenges the listener both emotionally and cerebrally. Thank you, my Lady, for sharing your talent with us and Godspeed in future endeavors!

Updated: 06/03/2021Posted: 06/03/2021

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