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  | ANNA RUTTAR ~ HEART MADE UNIVERSAL MUSIC POLSKA 602547647313 (Barcode: 602547647313) ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Pop Fusion Recorded: 2015 Released: 2015
This is the debut album by Polish vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter Anna RuttarFind albums by this artist recorded with a core trio featuring guitarist Andrzej GondekFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Wojciech GasiorFind albums by this artist and drummer Szymon MadejFind albums by this artist. Bassist Michal KapczukFind albums by this artist and kalimba player Bernard MaseliFind albums by this artist guest on one track each. The album presents ten original songs, all composed and arranged by Ruttar. She also wrote lyrics to nine of the songs and one song uses a poem by American poet E. E. CummingsFind albums by this artist. Nine of the songs use English lyrics and only one uses Polish lyrics.
The album is an excellent example of sophisticated Jazz-Pop Fusion, with the beautifully melodic songs dressed up in a Jazzy (and sometimes Bluesy) arrangements, superbly performed by the participating musicians. Combined with intelligent and meaningful lyrics, these songs are a great fun to listen to from start to end, presenting a truly exquisite collection of diverse, coherent, and rare quality music. The vocals / bass duet, which is the most Jazz oriented song on the album, is an instant classic and the solo track closing the album is perhaps a road sign for the future?
Ruttar has a nice, expressive voice and makes a good use of her vocal abilities throughout the album. My usual grunt about Polish vocalist singing in English is not really needed this time, as she does a good job with the English pronunciation and her foreign accent is rather charming. Nevertheless I would have preferred of course if the songs all had Polish lyrics, like the closing song of the album.
Instrumentally the album is pretty minimalist, and the most important, and by all means superb, contributions are by the guitarist, who plays some absolutely stunning licks here, all perfectly matched to the music. The rhythm section does an ideal job, being supportive, precise and professional, and most importantly not getting in the way.
Overall this is a superb debut effort, which sadly slipped under the radar when released, probably simply for the reason that it was too good to noted. I´d truly love to here more music from Ruttar, at the earliest convenience. Delightful stuff!
| Updated: 07/10/2018Posted: 07/10/2018 | CD 1 Recommend To A Friend |
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