Album Review: Dziesmu Kamoliņš/Garland of Songs from Arta Arta Jēkabsone

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Album:  Dziesmu Kamoliņš/Garland of Songs
Artist:  Arta Jēkabsone
Label:  Self-Released
Website:  https://artajekabsone.com
https://artajekabsone.com/soundspictures
 
Vocalist, arranger, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Arta Jēkabsone's newest endeavor, Dziesmu Kamoliņš/Garland of Songs, is a collection of 11 original arrangements of traditional Latvian folk songs interspersed with original compositions inspired by them.  For the recording, she embraces the past while ensconced steep in the present.  Folkloric melodies are intertwined with modern imagery and balmy aesthetics, rooted in blissful soul, uplifting blues, and pensive psalms.  Reflections of Celtic, Baroque, Alpine, and Baltic folk cultures vibrate throughout the tracks, wrapping the listener in a montage of sprightly cantors and soothing ballads.
 
Her vocals soar elegantly across “Dievin, Tavu Gaisuminu!,” supported by a bopping groove that interweaves a rhythm & blues vibe alongside Leo Genovese's psalmic keys and Edo Gur's percolating trumpet toots.  The lyrical voicing in her timbres produce an ethereal sonorous creating a shimmery effect throughout “Man Dziesminu Nepietruka,” while the summery atmosphere of “Caur Sidraba Birzi Gaju” interlaces a lively combination of earthy and exotic textures, morphing into a picturesque tapestry.
 
The soothing soundscape of “Silta Jauka Istabina” generates a contemplative mood, coupled with a storytelling lilt in Jēkabsone's tender vocal raptures.  Rhythmic and instinctually nuanced, Jēkabsone's chanting vocals emote human sentiment that stirs the listener's core.  She pours her spirit into each track, making her presence palpable.
 
Jēkabsone's offering is more than a heartfelt tribute to Latvian folk song.  She brings together musical influences from around the world, bonding traditional palettes with modern rhythms and sensibilities, linking the past to the present.  She imbibes her audiences with song, filling their hearts and minds with her music, inviting them to carry these tunes with them as they travel through the course of their day.
 
Musicians:
Arta Jēkabsone - voice, piano, violin, guitarlele, percussion, arrangements, original music, and production
Kengchakaj - synths & moog
Leo Genovese - rhodes
Edo Gur - trumpet
Zosha Warpeha - viola & violin
Julie Kim - cello
Samir Langus - guimbre
Jānis Rubiks - upright bass
Ike Sturm - electric and upright bass
Sintija Grigorjeva - electric bass
Keita Ogawa - percussion
Federico Nelson Fioravanti - percussion
Nizar Dahmani - percussion
Krišs Veismanis - Mixing engineer
Dave Horrocks - Master engineer

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