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Ánnámáret: Bálvvosbáiki
(Ánnámáret, Sámi yoik, Ilkka Heinonen, Carelian bowed lyre jouhikko, Turkka Inkilä, electronics and shakuhachi, Marja Viitahuhta, video art)
"but now seems to be forging a genre of her own, an experimental electro-acoustic sound that sets off her astounding, wide-ranging vocals."
"This is a challenging, gripping listen, from the opening track, 'Eanan', with its muscular, guttural vocals over a nearly industrial soundscape, complete with an ambient interlude."
"On an album full of surprises, the ferocious grunge noise of 'Sieidi is a disorienting, heady blast fractured with glitchy video-game electronics. There are also gentler pieces such as 'Mearrariika', akin to the more traditional joiks of Wimme Saari, and the lullaby-like 'Áhkát', reflecting Ánnámáret's rich expressive palette as a vocalist and composer."
–WIF STENGER
https://open.spotify.com/album/5TUHmgUgq0TOXPG8aUBPbh…
Helsinki-Cotonou Ensemble: Vive L'Amour
(Noël Saïzonou, Janne Halonen, Sampo Riskilä, Juha Räsänen, Visa Oscar, Mikko Penttinen, Joakim Berghäll, Kasheshi Makena)
"On Vive L'Amour, which is dominated by love songs, the Ensemble are joined by Nigerian percussionist Jah Baba and the massed strings of the Budapest Art Orchestra for a set that is confident, classy and full of surprises."
"It starts with breezy Afro-jazz, driven on by tight brass work and Noël's easy-going, versatile vocals, then switches to anything from quirky chanson with saxophone backing to slinky funk, a dash of guitar blues and the grand, sing-along show tune and title-track that ends the album. Well worth checking out."
–ROBIN DENSELOW
