Record Reviews

SANDRA BOROY ~ PARALLELLER AMP 120 (Barcode: 013415902234) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the second album by Norwegian singer / songwriter Sandra BoroyFind albums by this artist, recorded with trumpeter Idar Eliassen PedersenFind albums by this artist, guitarist Simen SkrebergeneFind albums by this artist, bassist Asle BrathenFind albums by this artist and drummer Marius Troan HansenFind albums by this artist. Saxophonist John Rune JakobsenFind albums by this artist guests on three tracks. The album presents ten original songs, all by the leader, with lyrics in Norwegian. The music continues the highly idiosyncratic approach initiated on the debut album, with darkly atmospheric melody lines and obvious Nordic influence, which has nothing in common with the standard vocal Jazz tradition. The melodies are complex and demanding, and combined by intensive instrumental accompaniment by trumpet and distorted guitar, create very unique sonic vistas, which have little parallels elsewhere. Although the music itself is not really Jazz oriented, the dense instrumental improvisations push it towards the Jazz idiom, is such classification means anything. The excellent rhythm section manages to stay respectfully in the background, audible only when really needed. Boroy, who also plays Rhodes electric piano, often overdubs her vocals and uses studio techniques to create captivating vocal effects, which add to the aura this music conveys, and suit the music perfectly. She treats her voice as another instrument in the ensemble, often singing along with the trumpet, which is the most dominant instrument, again creating a strange effect. In short the music is wonderfully weird, which is exactly what often makes music great. Overall, although the music might sound a tad depressing at first hearing, it is a beautiful piece of human communication, with splendid originality and creativity, which reflects the Nordic melancholy at its best and should be able to reach many hearts around the world. Boroy certainly deserves to be on the watch list with her future explorations.

Updated: 02/11/2022Posted: 02/11/2022

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FALKEVIK ~ NEW CONSTELLATIONS DRABANT 139 (Barcode: 7072696003477) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2021 Released: 2021 This is the second album by the Norwegian trio FalkevikFind albums by this artist led by pianist / vocalist Julie Falkevik TungevagFind albums by this artist with bassist Ellen BrekkenFind albums by this artist and drummer Marius Troan HansenFind albums by this artist. The album presents ten tracks, all original compositions by the trio, most of which are songs with lyrics in English, except for the last track with lyrics in Norwegian, with all lyrics by Tungevag. The music is pretty original, presenting an amalgam of a classic Jazz piano trio and a Pop / Rock group, resulting in a Jazz-Pop Fusion. The melodies are full of Nordic “darkness”, romanticism and melancholy, which is certainly appealing. The Jazz piano trio aspect is kept somewhat “in the background” musically, and the instrumental parts are characterized by heavy bass riffs and highly dynamic drumming, definitely more appropriate for Rock, but overall very effective. There is limited piano soloing, definitely too little to be characterized as Jazz per se. The limited electronic / synthesizer usage is very tasteful. Although perfectly understandable, singing in English by non-native English speakers is a priori a risky business. Of course I try to be lenient in this matter and see it mostly as rather charming, but it can work against the vocal parts. Stick to your mother tongue when singing is my motto ;) The closing track of this album proves it. Overall this is a very nice, melodic album with interesting songs and unusual instrumental arrangements, with some Jazz undercurrents, but calling it Jazz is simply misleading. Nevertheless, genres aside, it is great fun to listen to from start to finish and there is a lot of music and passion therein. Like most music made in Norway these days, it is absolutely worth being discovered - well done!

Updated: 24/07/2021Posted: 24/07/2021

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