Record Reviews

MELLUSYA ~ Z SERCA SOLITON 660 (Barcode: 5901571096605) ~ POLAND ~ Sung Poetry Recorded: 2019 Released: 2020 This is the debut album by Polish ensemble MelluSyaFind albums by this artist led by vocalist Kaja MianowanaFind albums by this artist and including Russian (resident in Poland) pianist Vlasta TraczykFind albums by this artist, violinist Kinga KloczkoFind albums by this artist, bassist Adam WardziakFind albums by this artist and drummer Karol KrasinskiFind albums by this artist. The album presents twelve original songs, all composed by Traczyk, with lyrics by Polish, Russian (Anna AkhmatovaFind albums by this artist), French (Christine de PisanFind albums by this artist), American (Emily DickinsonFind albums by this artist) and British (Edgar Allan PoeFind albums by this artist) poets and two original texts by Mianowana. Two of the songs have lyrics in English and the rest feature Polish lyrics, including translations into Polish. The music is a typical example of the Polish Sung Poetry idiom, which is an extremely fruitful and popular sub-genre of the Polish Pop / Art Pop music, with a long and glorious tradition in Polish music scene and which is a companion to the Polish Jazz & Poetry idiom. Not surprisingly the music is mostly influenced by Traczyk, who composed all the songs, and offers an amalgam of Russian Classical Music influences and East European lyricism and melancholy with a dash of poetic Progressive Rock nostalgia. They are well structured melodically and harmonically, and have a tad of Siberian wintriness in them, which takes a while to get into, but which manages to create a unique atmosphere. Mianowana is an accomplished vocalist with a beautiful voice and great range. Her career and experience in musicals results in a certain over-theatrical approach, which is not naturally suited for Sung Poetry, which relays first and foremost on feeling and empathy with the poetic contents rather than a display of vocal mastery. But having said that, this is not really an issue here and she manages to deliver these songs very impressively. All four instrumentalists are well educated and highly trained, and all perform their parts without a hitch, as expected. The violinist is a bit hidden in the mix and might have been featured more prominently INHO. For Prog fans, the piano / vocals dominance brings fond memories of the RenaissanceFind albums by this artist / Annie HaslamFind albums by this artist albums – Prog-heads check it out! Overall this is a very solid and classy debut album, which should keep connoisseurs of Sung Poetry / Art Pop / Prog extremely happy. Definitely worth investigating and warmly recommended – good job Ladies and Gents!

Updated: 23/10/2020Posted: 03/04/2020

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