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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SANDRA BOROY ~ SUS LOSEN 164 (Barcode: 7090025831645) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the debut album by Norwegian vocalist / songwriter Sandra BoroyFind albums by this artist, recorded in a quartet setting with guitarist Jonas Dyrstad ValbergFind albums by this artist, bassist Guttorm Strande SyrristFind albums by this artist and drummer Jonatan Schanke EikumFind albums by this artist. The album presents six songs with lyrics in Norwegian and two wordless pieces, each repeated twice, altogether ten tracks, all composed and written by Boroy. After developing the material and perfecting her style for almost four years Boroy finally recorded this album, boldly stepping into the tough world of vocal music, perhaps the most difficult of all musical forms. It becomes immediately obvious after the music starts playing that she is not another young female in the endless stream of hopeless copycats trying to "make it" using a sexy voice or even worse her sexy look. This album is a profound statement of individuality and complete disregard of fads and fashions, simply putting on the table an honest package of compositions, lyrics and heartfelt execution. Sticking to lyrics in Norwegian is another important sign of honesty and candor, avoiding the usual trap of "broken English" that most starting vocalist fell into over and over again all over the world. The music fails an immediate attempt of classification; it is Jazzy, but not mainstream oriented, it displays the Scandinavian melancholy and lyrical approach, and yet differs from most other Scandinavian music, presenting a unique stylistic statement. Boroy´s usage of vocalese, both on the wordless tracks and during her solos within the songs, is where she sounds most interesting and promising, but her vocal delivery is definitely overall excellent. One of the basic assets of this album is the close cooperation between the vocals and the guitar, which accompanies her very closely, sometimes even unisono, creating an unusual atmosphere and an outlandish sound effect. The rhythm section also does a splendid job, staying often in the background and stepping in elegantly exactly when appropriate. The bass supports the melody line admirably, which is especially important when the vocals and guitar are busy with stating the complex melody lines. The drums are elegantly supporting the music, being often subdued, but on the wonderful vocals / drums duet track the drummer shows not only his skills as a player but more importantly his ability to listen. Overall this is an amazing debut album, especially so in the vocal department. With such talent and determination God only knows what these young musicians can achieve eventually. It´s one of those albums that make being a music critic a pleasure. Kudos to Odd GjelsnesFind albums by this artist for his vision to release this album on his superb LosenFind albums on this label Records label; most other labels would have rejected it for being "too ambitious" – what a world we are leaving in!

Updated: 21/09/2016Posted: 21/09/2016

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