(16 November 2008) Musical Discoveries featured artist Charlotte Martin has released a new studio EP, Orphans (Test-Drive Records (USA) CMO 0019, 2008). The eight-song collection of masters and outtakes spans Martin'’s 10-year career. Charlotte has done a tremendous job releasing EPs between full length albums and Orphans is a great collection to tide listeners over to next year's planned release of her fourth album.

Selections include fan favorites "The Stalker Song" and "Snowflakes," as well as brand new, never released material recorded in early 2008. Charlotte worked closely with her long time collaborator and husband, Ken Andrews, and friend Tommy Walter (Eels, Abandoned Pools) to remix and re-master these recordings.

Charlotte reflected on the release, "I am happy some lost songs from the One Girl Army, On Your Shore, and Stromata recording sessions are finally finding a home on their own EP. This is a true collector's piece I want everyone to hear." We were especially enthralled with the excellence of the lost master of "Raven" included in this stunning collection. The EP is gorgeously packaged in a gatefold cardboard sleeve.

Tracks such as "Is This Called Desire" and "Outerspace," originated back in 2006, when Walter and Martin worked on tracks for a duo project called Exceptional Birds of Flight. These steer away from Charlotte's familiar keyboard-driven sound and explore electronics, accompanied by vocals that at times are reminscent of the Veins EP released in the same time period. Other outtakes, such as "Galaxies" and "Habit," stay more true to the classic piano-based lullabies, brimming with raw emotion and melancholy melodies.

Charlotte is currently writing and recording her fourth full-length album and--with her son approaching the one year mark next April--plans to return to the touring scene in early 2009.

(01 November 2008) The long-awaited second full length album from Sweden's Sofia Loell is entitled Where I Belong (Pama Records (Sweden) 7 331510 107228, 2008). It is the followup to her debut Right Up Your Face (Curb Records (USA) 02-78739, 2002). While the stunning debut drew attention based on strong allusions to The Corrs, Sofia's new album was clearly worth the wait.

The new album was written and recorded during Sofia's mid-20s and clearly demonstrates the increased maturity from her debut, written when she was only 16 and recorded at age 18, as well as significant growth in singing, production and songwriting. The 13-track album is released in Sweden and worldwide on iTunes. A release on Curb Records should follow during 2009. Read more about Sofia in our exclusive and well-illustrated interview.

Sweden have produced outstanding female-fronted music for years and perhaps are most noted for the work of Abba, whose memorable songs have been renewed with the musical and now feature film Mamma Mia. Frequent visitors will recall our recent articles on Sofia Talvik and Theresa Andersson. Sofia Loell's music compliments the work of these women and other projects we have underway on other Swedish artists. Her debut album Right Up Your Face is a timeless work filled with incredible tunes and, still available, is clearly worth exploring further.

Sofia is backed on her new album by producer Johan Glossner (guitar, banjo, mandolin, ebow, hammond organ, organ, basss, keyboard, percussion, drums, piano and backing vocals); Christoffer Olsson (drums); Pascal Bjerrehus (bass); Tomas Pettersson (piano, Rhodes); Robert Engstrand (Rhodes) and others.

Where I Belong benefits from Sofia's personal and musical maturity. Songs are more highly varied across the album, and the album develops its depth as it plays from the bluesy opening ballad, "New Life," to the final song, "Story To Tell," a duet sung with Sven Zetterberg. "I Will Love You" is a more upbeat and accessible song contrasting Sofia's tender lead with the rich harmonies reminscent of her earlier work.

The emotional delivery of "Alive Alive" is enhanced by the sharp contrast between the melancholy verse and upbeat guitar-laden chorus. The album highlights include the stunning radio-friendly title track "Where I Belong" featuring Sofia's crystalline lead atop a crisp arrangement with very subdued backing harmonies. The guitar work and overall production are especially noteworthy.

About midway between her debut and the new album, Sofia released the "War Of Life" single, an upbeat pop song, her crystalline vocals gliding over a crisp guitar-based arrangement. The song appears on the new album as well. Sofia's two album favorites are the standouts that appear at the midpoint of the album. "On & On" features Sofia almost a capella and with band playing full on. "Shiver" is clearly the album standout. The vocal production, piano work and percussion are particularly outstanding. Frequent visitors will recall that Natalie Imbruglia's "Shiver"--a different song altogether--is the standout of the artist's third album Counting Down The Days. Like Natalie's song, Sofia's "Shiver" benefits from the tension that builds in the verse and release in the memorable chorus.

"Closer To Home" is a tenderly delivered ballad sung atop keyboard-biased arrangements. The notable reverb in the vocals of the "Love Is" ballad works well alongside the guitar backing arrangement. Harmonies work well alongside the instrumentals. In contrast, the arrangement in "I'm Leaving" is richly guitar-laced, Sofia's evocative crystalline vocal up there in the mix. The album begins to conclude with "I'll Be Gone," sung atop acoustic and electric guitar mixed to perfection. Vocal production is superb.

Sofia's duet with Sven Zetterberg "Story to Tell" is listed as a bonus track, likely because it is the only song where she is accompanied in a duet and notably by another singer. The number contrasts the others on the album in that it has more of a mainstream rock or country feel than the others. Sven's vocals are certainly more the latter than the former. Thick guitars drive the arrangement.

Where I Belong serves not only as a marked growth achievement for Sofia Loell but as an outstanding album overall. With widespread digital distribution by Apple iTunes and a deal with Curb Records, Sofia is certain to draw additional attention from North American audiences in 2009. Sweden's Sofia Loell is one to watch.

(16 November 2008) Susannah Blinkoff is a multi-talented singer-songwriter whose catchy, groove-driven alternative/adult contemporary pop-rock songs have been featured on MTV’s hit show My Super Sweet Sixteen, in the feature film My Super Ex-Girlfriend, as well as heard on hundreds college radio stations across the country. Her warm, intimate, clear-as-a-bell voice turns sexy and sultry in a heartbeat--with comparisons to Diana Ross, Sheryl Crow and Eva Cassidy--while her accomplished background as an actress gives her a chameleon-like performance style that's at home in a variety of musical genres. Her album Let's Pretend (Bunnyhead Music (USA) 6 35961 12372 9, 2008) is a diverse collection of soulful, hooky, pop-rock songs that are original and radio-friendly at the same time.

Born and raised in New York City, Susannah began singing professionally in clubs and off-Broadway when she was twelve. As an actress, she has appeared in numerous TV movies, sitcoms and plays on both coasts. She made her Broadway debut in The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public and is featured on the show's cast album recording. She is also a published playwright and screenwriter who co-wrote the film Bellyfruit which premiered at the LA Independent Film Festival and ran on Showtime. For that film, she wrote and produced the opening title song with hit music producer Stephen Bray (Madonna, The Color Purple). Over the last ten years, Susanna has released two six-track EPs and two full length albums.

Blinkoff's twelve track first album Happy Today (Bunnyhead Music (USA) 8 07207 03152 9, 2004 was released under the band name Camp Susanna and was a collaboration with musicians David Sutton (Lucinda Williams, Liz Phair, Tracy Chapman), John Ballinger (Rufus Wainwright), Ray McNamara (E of the Eels) and Scott Breadman (Macy Gray). Susannah has performed her music in Galway, Ireland; New York City, and in Los Angeles at The Knitting Factory, Tangier, Genghis Cohen, The Mint, and Hotel Cafe. The album's production is superb.

As the daughter of Broadway composer-lyricist Carol Hall, Susannah grew up in recording studios and songwriting was literally a calling she could not ignore. While performing and recording are her true passions, she is also busy developing hybrid musical projects that bring all of her talents together. Her award-winning screenplay Undercover Crew--currently being developed as both a film and a TV series--features two original songs written by Susannah for the character of a teen pop star. Another project is an original movie-with-music about singers that will feature her songs as well as those of some other prominent LA songwriters.

On the eleven track Let's Pretend album, Susannah co-wrote everything with Rich Jacques (Alissa Moreno, Brownie Mary). Jacques played everything, Susanna sang. Previously with the Camp Susannah band featured David Sutton (Lucinda Williams, Liz Phair, Tracy Chapman), John Ballinger (Rufus Wainwright), Ray McNamara (E of the Eels) and Scott Breadman (Macy Gray) among others. Production is lighter and somewhat less acceptable than the singer's debut effort.

Blinkoff is certainly a talented vocalist with a penchant for poignant lyrics and stellar backing musicianship to bring it home to the heart. This woman has a tremendous voice. Her music is a polished brand of rock and pop with interesting alternative twists and turns. Sometimes it sounds like something you would hear blasting out of the speakers at an all night dance club and then again, something you would hear up and down your radio dial. Both of her albums, Happy Today more produced than Let's Pretend are perfect packages. Order Happy Today by clicking the album cover.

Susannah is one of those artists that doesn't come along too often. On Let's Pretend her voice is warm and charming in the vein of such artists as Dido and Lisa Loeb, with the meaningful songwriting of artists like Emmylou Harris. Fans of intelligent rock with a touch of pop will find this release very enjoyable. She sings with a grace and ease that is rarely seen, writing songs that are too good to be called pop music. Fans of ethereal rock that is fun and light while firmly based in reality will enjoy her latest album.  

(16 November 2008) Marta Samitowska's book Through My Eyes In Their Own Words: Females In Metal And Beyond (Muse(ic) Books (Netherlands), ISBN: 978-90-79789-01, 2008) is a 133 page collection of personal reflections, quotes from other artists, and interview responses by fiourteen established or emerging female vocalists and one violinist, many who have been reviewed here previously.

The book begins with the story of the Norwegian, Kari Rueslĺtten beginning with her work with Third and The Mortal and eventual depature into a solo singer songwriter career. Kari's crystalline voice provides the perfect backdrop when reading the opening chapter. It moves on to cover the very well established Amanda Somerville, an American living in Germany, whose career has spanned every color of music but is now focused on her not yet released solo work and contributions to After Forever, Epica and an array of both female- and male-fronted metal projects.

We were pleased that Marta wrote of Sweden's Anette Olzon, the new frontwoman for Nightwish. Anette reflects on her audition, selection and commitment to work with Nightwish in this second generation of the band after Tarja Turunen's difficult departure in 2005. Tuomos provides sensitive inputs to the story. Marta then moves onto Norway's Monica Edvardsen, who cut her music chops with the metal band Atrox and then moved onto the more interesting project Tactile Gemma. While Atrox may be on the outside edge of our readers' interests, Tactile Gemma is likely closer to the sweet spot. The fact that Marta is into a broad variety of other artistic pursuits makes an interesting read.

The book presses on with Holland's Irene Jansen's story which begins with Star One, moves into Karma and then back into her work with Ayreon. As Floor Jansen's sister, Irene's story is heavily interwoven in the shadows, alongside and at times in front of Floor's. The book does a good job differentiating the work of the two sisters, complimenting both on their achievements to date. One of the best chapters of the book is the story about Holland's Manda Ophuis, her music and continuing education, the forming of Nemesea and the significant step taken with their album In Control. Interested readers should check out our own interview with Manda.

Maryland, USA-based Laurie Ann Haus' diverse vocal contributions are described in Marta's chapter on the singer's work. Laurie Ann's career spans Rain Fell Within, Ephemeral Sun and Autumn Tears and the book tells the story of how she formed her stunning, and actually most diverse, solo project Todesbonden. The book continues with a short story of Holland's Ellen Schutyser the vocalist of Sengir, a melodic metal edged band that released two albums before calling it a day. We especially enjoyed the story of Reston, VA, USA-based Dawn Desiree, the second lead vocalist of Rain Fell Within. The story reveals Dawn's modeling career (check out the photos at her MySpace) and describes her two operatically oriented and stunning solo releases.

The book shares the author's personal interviews and MSN chats Sabine Dünser, the former the lead singer of the Liechtenstein band Elis. Sabine died tragically of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 29. Sabine had released 4 albums, the first one was in 2001 when the band was known as Erben der Schöpfung, but by the second album, some of the the members of Erben Der Schöpfung left to form the band Elis. The book also covers careers of two Polish vocalists, the first being Maja Konarska of Moonlight. Maja describes the translation of her lyrics into English in some detail within the story.

American Diana Serra's work with Aghora is covered next. The shortest story in the book, it also differentiate's Aghora's music from European metal in some detail. The story about Franziska Huth front woman for the German band Eyes Of Eden is also short but based on the short run of the band to date, there is not as much for the singer to say. The short story of Croatian Marta Batinic, the violin player for the Belgian band Ashes You Leave, differs from the others in the book because the artist is not the band's lead vocalist. So it indeed provides a different perspective. The book concludes with a final short chapter on Paulina Maslanka, the lead singer for the Polish metal band Delight. Paulina's story also talks about singing in her native tongue and makes for an interesting read.

Marta's book is an insightful journey into the world of female artists in and around the metal scene. Indeed metal music today incorporates a vast variety of female vocals, especially when compared to the scene fifteen years ago and the book goes a long way to illustrate how so without interviewing some of most well established ladies on the scene: Cristina Scabbia, Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Sabine Simons or Anneke van Giersbergen. But it does a good job drawing on the emerging artists' influences which interestingly more often than not include Tori Amos and Kate Bush. References to the vocalists' other projects made for many interesting discoveries.

Don't expect a fancy coffee table book. This is a decently paperbound black and white collection of reflections, photographs and interviews. The book can be ordered through The Muse(ic) website. Marta writes that the second volume will be out in early 2009. It will include stories about Marcela Bovio, Saskia van Heugten, Julie Kiss, Lauren Harris and the ladies of Midnattsol and Octavia Sperati. We'll be equally keen to read Marta s next installment!

(19 November 2008) Our first review of 21 Grammy award winning country singer Alison Krauss is of her new DVD, A Hundred Miles or More: Live From The Tracking Room (Rounder Records (USA) 11661-0625-9, 2008). Alison has one of the purest and most original voices in American Music, performing songs from her critically acclaimed solo album A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection with members of her highly regarded band Union Station and special guest musicians. It also features memorable duets with Brad Paisley, James Taylor, John Waite and a cover of "Sawing on the Strings" with Tony Rice, Sam Bush and Stuart Duncan joining Union Station.

For Alison Krauss, musical collaboration has been a way of life. Her own story has been nothing short of amazing. She was signed to Rounder Records as a 13-year old fiddler from Champaign, Illinois, she has over two decades with the label, become the most recognized face in contemporary bluegrass, a critically acclaimed artist who has brought modern sophistication to the genre while respecting its traditions, and stretched beyond bluegrass to accompany pop, country and rock & roll. She has sold upwards of 10 million records while garnering her numerous Grammy awards, the most of any female artist in Grammy history.

Originally taped as a GAC television special, this DVD is set in a recording studio enviornment to re-create the making of many of the tracks from A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection. The DVD offers an intimate look at how Alison works in the studio enviornment. Featured is the single "Simple Love," written by Sarah Siskind. Guest musicians Gordon Mote (piano) and Abraham Laboriel Sr (bass) join Krauss for this very special performance. Also included are a soluful slow-dance tempo duet of "Lay Down Beside Me" with John Waite, a reprise of "How's The World Treaing You" with James Taylor, and the newly recorded, previously unrelesaed, "Shawods, featuring Tony Rice on guitar.

A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection (the CD) gathered on one elegandly understated disc several previously released collaborations with such artists and friends as Paisley, Waite, Taylor, Natalie MacMaster and The Chieftains, along with songs she cut for the films Cold Mountain, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and an inspired by album for the animated The Prince Of Egypt. Alison also recorded and produced four new tracks for the album including "Simple Love" and "Jacob's Dream." With sixteen songs A Hundred Miles of More: A Collection follows her previous compilation Now That I've Found You: A Collection.

The DVD mixes live performances with interviews. The interviews can be 'turned off' in the DVD configuration making for continuous live performances. Alison's crystalline voice carries the day although her violin playing is equally outstanding. There are ten tracks on the DVD, which with interviews spans an hour playing time. The sleeve is a one pager but the DVD is nothing short of superb. An excellent introduction to this fantastic musician or a collector's item for the long time fan.

(15 November 2008) Hailing from the Toronto suburb of Oaksville, Ontario, up-and-coming singer/songwriter Anjulie is an intriguing, authentic new voice on the pop landscape, with the melodic gifts, vocal prowess and sophistication that announce her as a true original. Obsessed with music as a child, Anjulie has been singing and writing songs since she was a teen, and the years she spent honing her craft are readily apparent on her self-titled debut album for Hear Music.

Co-written with her producer and collaborator Jon Levine (Philosopher Kings), her forthcoming album finds Anjulie setting intensely personal stories about her life, loves, obsessions, and heartbreaks to a dazzling genre-blending mix of pop, hip-hop, rock, and world rhythms she heard as a child growing up. Much like her contemporaries Nelly Furtado, Corrine Bailey Rae and Lily Allen, Anjulie is ready to carve out her own essential place in popular music.

In the run up to Anjulie's twelve track album, the label has released a digital EP on iTunes featuring the rousing and richly produced pop track, "Boom." Although her MySpace site is currently offering the title track and the EP's delightful "Love Song," the EP misses "The Heat," an intense R&B track showing the powerful production quality of the forthcoming album that can be heard today on MySpace. The EP concludes as the album will with the lighter but rhythmic pop texture of "Day Will Come Soon." The EP is short but momentum is building for Anjulie. We look forward to her album's release.  

(15 November 2008) Indie artist Frances Mai-Ling explores classical piano in a new light in Best Kept Secrets (Frances Mai-Ling (USA) bks-dirm010, 2003). She is a pioneer in alt-classical music, having appeared on the scene in 2001. She infuses an emotive and melodic style to her creations, taking piano and organ instruments to different heights. She has scored music for theatre and film, along with a various amount of side projects to her credit. Besides being a published composer, she is also a published writer and visual artist.

Frances got her start in show business by participating in her parent's magic show, but she decided on music rather than magic. She is a trained classical pianist although she had only two years of piano lessons. She does perform all original pieces and is the co-founder of EastWestNow Records. This label is the first and collective that promotes artists of Asian ethnicity, and focuses on artists who are half-Asian.

This eleven track album is nearly all instrumental with the exception of "Starslider-Sonnet #137." In "Starslider" her vocals seem abrupt and often off-key. There is an eerieness to this particular track that does seem to hold some musical intrigue for the listener, but Frances should eliminate the vocals. The album begins with "Evil Theme." This evocative piece has a flowing melody and a melancholy flavor. She segues into a playful organ tune called "Caliban's Polka." Another song, "Canaval," has a similar circus inspiration that is playful and evokes images of harlequins.

A standout track is "Love For 2 Flutes and Cello" which was composed for Taming of the Shrew. The melodic flute and cello combination is a lovely, flowing track that expresses a moving interplay between the two instruments. A defined sound appears in "Homage." It is a touching and poignant piece, where she employs a slow and broad tempo. This track was composed for The Miser. "Dance of the Imps" sounds like it was partially played on a toy piano. This song did not add much to this collection, and was a bit disturbing.

"Fiddler Forbear" is an exciting guitar laiden song that certainly plucks at the senses. There is an energy and intrigue shown here that highlights her innovative expressiveness fully. She continues to impress with "Anticipation" that uses delightful trills and flowing melodic interludes to enrapture the listener. The evocative piano piece is aptly named, as the listener looks forward to the continuation of this lovely, creative melody. "Miser Dance" is a lively, upbeat song that incorporates guitar strumming, appropriate to the imagery. She closes this album with the dynamic "In the Beat of the Firey Drum."

This collection of mostly instrumental works certainly have an adventurous and innovative edge. Best Kept Secret does highlight Frances Mai-Ling's creativity and appreciation of the literary classics with her interpretive style. She has original, imaginative songs that are thoroughly enjoyable, although there are a few wrong turns on several tracks along the way. In general, she should stick to the instrumentals and avoid the vocals. There are some songs here that are emotive and tranquil and may appeal to those listeners who are more adventurous.--Audrey Elliot in New York

(13 July 2009) Nandara is the newest creation by veteran musician, Stuart Jones, on the UK's GAP Music label. Stuart is no stranger to the music world, and he has written and recorded innumerable albums in all styles including Classical, Jazz, Dance, Pop-Funk, New Age, Experimental and a genre he has originated called "Piano Speed Funk." His new album, Angels Weep, is a gorgeous New Age work that highlights the incredible, ethereal tones of Sarah Jones. All of the songs on Angels Weep were composed and recorded by both Sarah and Stuart Jones.

Stuart Jones' music is heard regularly on global and national television including BB1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5. Most recently, his music is on the soap opera Emmerdale. He has many albums/DVDs published under pseudonyms such as Stuart Michael and SJ Bluewater and his compositions/recordings appear on charting DVDs and albums with artists such as Craig David and Debbie Harry in the style of dance music, and Mozart and Debussy (Deutsche Grammophon label) in the style of classical music. Nandara has been at the forefront of the New Age music scene for a number of years in various guises enjoying continuous worldwide success.

The opening track, "Journey," describes life as a journey full of emotion. There is no doubt that Sarah's beautiful vocals supported by the flowing melody evoke tranquility and she certainly touches the heart. The title track follows with its haunting quality. There is an angelic quality to this song, breaking into a rhythmic and captivating beat. She exudes passion with her sweet-sounding tones. Beautiful keyboards open "Our Love." There is an almost wistful feel to this soothing song.

One of the standout tracks is "Heart of Dreams." Soaring vocals and captivating instrumentals help to create a sumptuous mood. Sarah's beautiful vocal range is highlighted here. "Angels of Love" continues to excite the senses with her magnificent voice and the lush instrumentation. The arrangement has broad sweeping passages that hook the listener. The laid back jazzy tone of "With You (When I'm Gone)" has a sultry flavor. Sarah's splendid lilting voice continues to mesmerize and enthrall.

Soothing synth sounds in "Time With You" offer a feeling of warmth and serenity. The rhythmic melody has an hypnotic feel. More instrumentals follow with the exciting "Innocence In Me." The luxuriance of the music combined with the stellar vocals has an inspiring quality. The piano-ladden piece is exceptional and well crafted. The album closes with soaring vocals in "Word Unspoken." There is a genuineness in the heartfelt tones.

Exquisite vocals emmanate from singer Sarah Jones. She maintains a pure and clear tone throughout this album, complimenting the delightful New Age music soundscape. The set of nine tracks are stunning and well-crafted. The album is available at iTunes or via CD from GAP Music. Angels Weep has been a long time in the making and this captivating album was worth waiting for.--Audrey Elliot in New York

(20 June 2009) The new release by Nevada singer songwriter Shauna Burns is a lush five track EP entitled Anamnesis (Red Rock Music (USA) RRM 7005, 2009. The artist has created a series of vignettes describing the making of this new recording that can be viewed via Shauna's website, her MySpace or directly at YouTube. Shauna explains, "the album's title is the continuation of the Moon and the Fire Circle a sister planet in the universe of the soul." The EP has been produced in this same vein, and the artist's photos that adorn the EP and her revised web presence reflect the same.

The EP presents Shauna's stunningly delivered and evocative vocal work primarily atop piano, although richer arrangements grace several of the tracks. In this EP especially, Shauna's voice is reminscent of Karnataka's Rachel Jones, although the tracks are more akin to Tori Amos. The well prepared gatefold digpak includes the lyrics for all five songs inside the front cover. Shauna's growth as a musical artist is clearly demonstrated vocally, in the music as well as in the product.

Lush electronic and acoustic arrangements are combined to provide the foundation for Shauna Burns' voice in the gently delivered and progressively styled opening track "Smell." The well-executed textural change between the chorus and verse is tremendously dramatic. The rocking electric guitars in "A Letter" work perfectly with Shauna's percussive Tori Amos-styled piano work. And in fact, this upbeat track is certain to draw many double takes from staunch Amos fans, especially with Tori's brand new release. The instrumental bridge has a wonderful piano solo.

Much gentler and sung atop a lone piano, Shauna delivers in her own distinct vocal style the sensitive ballad "Wind." We especially appreciated the stark combination of piano with Shauna's voice in this lovely mid-EP track. The album's standout is "Driving For." The light arrangement with crisp percussion and rhythmic piano perfectly supports Shauna's evocative vocal delivery. While a light harmony layer sneaks in from time to time on this EP, including this track, Shauna's lead vocal is typically sung solo. "So tell me ..." is the EP's closing track. The darkness of the piano-based ballad is underscored by string parts.

Anamnesis is a lovely five track collection that will tide Shauna Burns' fans over until her next full length release. The album is available from a variety of online outlets. With this short playing release, the artist shows us that she has clearly established her stride, audience following and musical style that will continue to build and draw interest from enthusiasts worldwide.

(16 November 2008) A redhead fairy, just out of a Broceliande tale, completely in touch with eternal vibrations, powerful culture, and a charismatic personnality. Cécile Corbel has released her third full length album Songbook Vol. 2 (Bran Music | Keltia Musique (France) RSCD 287, 2008). The twelve track collection builds on the artist's very successful second release, an earlier twelve track album entitled Songbook Vol. 1 (Bran Music | Keltia Musique (France) RSCD 279, 2006). Corbel belongs to a new generation of European folk artists that is happy to take crusty old folk standards and reinvent them for the 21st-century audience. Congratulations go to the artist and the label for the superb packaging and booklets that accompany the individual CDs.

Cécile Corbel wrote the music and lyrics for this album and performs harp and vocals. The album's lineup also includes Simon Caby (strings, arrangements, drums, percussion, harpsichord, piano), Benjamin Boiteau (electric guitars, bass, backing vocals), Cyrille Bonneau (bombards, bagpipes, dudik, soprano sax, low whistle), Eric Zorgniotti (cello), Gilles Donage (violin and alto), John Lang (bodhran, bouzouki, low whistle), Jimmie O'Neill (vocals), Cyril Murin (folk guitar, 12-string). The lineup produces wonderfully produced modern renditions of using traditional and electronic instruments.

Cécile Corbel was born in Brittany, the Celtic region in the north-west of France. As a child, she traveled all over Brittany with her parents, who were puppeteers. She played the guitar but in ner teens her teens that she discovered the Celtic harp. At 18, she went to Paris to study archeology, still dreaming of music. Following concert after concert in Parisian pubs and cafés, she self-produced her album Songbook Vol. 1 and was soon noticed by the Keltia Musique (Sinead O’Connor, Loreena McKennitt) label.

Corbel's unique harp technique and her appealing young voice, sometimes compared to Kate Bush's, reveal a world encompassing ancient poems, original compositions, Celtic tunes and Mediterranean melodies. It is said that Cécile Corbel takes you for a trip out of a time. Following the path of prestigious musicians such as Alan Stivell, the young Breton composer and singer now performs her Celtic and world music with her musicians in France and all over the world.

Says Corbel, "Once upon a time were a gypsy with golden lips, a knight-errant, a woman in love with a dolphin, a ocean of milk, deers in garments of fog, another knight, wounded and mourned by a maiden in an orchard, a talking horse, a female pirate, a damned girl on the moor. Once upon a time was innocence." She continues, "This album is the fruit of many years spent on the roads with my harp. On stage or in a studio, Breton legends, Irish fairies, Scottish fogs, they all were my fellow travelers and a boundless source of inspiration." She concludes, "I hope you will like this album as much as I enjoyed writing and recording these songs." Cécile Corbel imposes an enchanting universe with a clever mix of traditional Irish songs and Breton tunes.

Corbel has appeared as supporting artist for many great world music musicians including Lunasa, Helen Flaherty, Ousmane Toure, Alan Stivell or the baroque harpist Ariana Savall. Corbel has also performed at various Festivals and concert halls, including La Maroquinerie, Solidays 2005, and International Harp Festival at Dinan (France). She has been warmly greeted abroad, including in Australia and Tasmania, including an Australian tour in 2006 at the French festival of Adelaide with Yann Tiersen and Matmatah and in Estonia, The Czech Republic, England, United States (Louisiana, Texas). She was the Prix Paris jeunes talents musique (Talented young musician award of Paris) in 2005.

Corbel performed all over France and in Belgium, Estonia, England, Netherlands and Germany in twelve individual concerts in June and July 2007 including the main Celtic rendezvous of the summer, including in her native Brittany. Listeners will appreciate the richness of the instrumentation, blending classic folk instruments with modern electronic additions.

Her life and image mirrors her singing, limpid, fragile, but confident. She draws her inspiration from the Breton tradition, from Breton laments and magic tales. The new tunes of Songbook Vol. 2 build wonderfully on the artists prior work. Vocals and instrumentals blend perfectly across the album's tracks never boring, inspiring repeat listening and interplay between her two albums. That texts are often in French or Breton never detract from the lovliness of the artist's two albums. Still at the early stage of her career, Cécile Corbel has a very bright future ahead.

(16 November 2008) Marta Samitowska's book Through My Eyes In Their Own Words: Females In Metal And Beyond (Muse(ic) Books (Netherlands), ISBN: 978-90-79789-01, 2008) is a 133 page collection of personal reflections, quotes from other artists, and interview responses by fiourteen established or emerging female vocalists and one violinist, many who have been reviewed here previously.

The book begins with the story of the Norwegian, Kari Rueslĺtten beginning with her work with Third and The Mortal and eventual depature into a solo singer songwriter career. Kari's crystalline voice provides the perfect backdrop when reading the opening chapter. It moves on to cover the very well established Amanda Somerville, an American living in Germany, whose career has spanned every color of music but is now focused on her not yet released solo work and contributions to After Forever, Epica and an array of both female- and male-fronted metal projects.

We were pleased that Marta wrote of Sweden's Anette Olzon, the new frontwoman for Nightwish. Anette reflects on her audition, selection and commitment to work with Nightwish in this second generation of the band after Tarja Turunen's difficult departure in 2005. Tuomos provides sensitive inputs to the story. Marta then moves onto Norway's Monica Edvardsen, who cut her music chops with the metal band Atrox and then moved onto the more interesting project Tactile Gemma. While Atrox may be on the outside edge of our readers' interests, Tactile Gemma is likely closer to the sweet spot. The fact that Marta is into a broad variety of other artistic pursuits makes an interesting read.

The book presses on with Holland's Irene Jansen's story which begins with Star One, moves into Karma and then back into her work with Ayreon. As Floor Jansen's sister, Irene's story is heavily interwoven in the shadows, alongside and at times in front of Floor's. The book does a good job differentiating the work of the two sisters, complimenting both on their achievements to date. One of the best chapters of the book is the story about Holland's Manda Ophuis, her music and continuing education, the forming of Nemesea and the significant step taken with their album In Control. Interested readers should check out our own interview with Manda.

Maryland, USA-based Laurie Ann Haus' diverse vocal contributions are described in Marta's chapter on the singer's work. Laurie Ann's career spans Rain Fell Within, Ephemeral Sun and Autumn Tears and the book tells the story of how she formed her stunning, and actually most diverse, solo project Todesbonden. The book continues with a short story of Holland's Ellen Schutyser the vocalist of Sengir, a melodic metal edged band that released two albums before calling it a day. We especially enjoyed the story of Reston, VA, USA-based Dawn Desiree, the second lead vocalist of Rain Fell Within. The story reveals Dawn's modeling career (check out the photos at her MySpace) and describes her two operatically oriented and stunning solo releases.

The book shares the author's personal interviews and MSN chats Sabine Dünser, the former the lead singer of the Liechtenstein band Elis. Sabine died tragically of a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 29. Sabine had released 4 albums, the first one was in 2001 when the band was known as Erben der Schöpfung, but by the second album, some of the the members of Erben Der Schöpfung left to form the band Elis. The book also covers careers of two Polish vocalists, the first being Maja Konarska of Moonlight. Maja describes the translation of her lyrics into English in some detail within the story.

American Diana Serra's work with Aghora is covered next. The shortest story in the book, it also differentiate's Aghora's music from European metal in some detail. The story about Franziska Huth front woman for the German band Eyes Of Eden is also short but based on the short run of the band to date, there is not as much for the singer to say. The short story of Croatian Marta Batinic, the violin player for the Belgian band Ashes You Leave, differs from the others in the book because the artist is not the band's lead vocalist. So it indeed provides a different perspective. The book concludes with a final short chapter on Paulina Maslanka, the lead singer for the Polish metal band Delight. Paulina's story also talks about singing in her native tongue and makes for an interesting read.

Marta's book is an insightful journey into the world of female artists in and around the metal scene. Indeed metal music today incorporates a vast variety of female vocals, especially when compared to the scene fifteen years ago and the book goes a long way to illustrate how so without interviewing some of most well established ladies on the scene: Cristina Scabbia, Floor Jansen, Tarja Turunen, Sabine Simons or Anneke van Giersbergen. But it does a good job drawing on the emerging artists' influences which interestingly more often than not include Tori Amos and Kate Bush. References to the vocalists' other projects made for many interesting discoveries.

Don't expect a fancy coffee table book. This is a decently paperbound black and white collection of reflections, photographs and interviews. The book can be ordered through The Muse(ic) website. Marta writes that the second volume will be out in early 2009. It will include stories about Marcela Bovio, Saskia van Heugten, Julie Kiss, Lauren Harris and the ladies of Midnattsol and Octavia Sperati. We'll be equally keen to read Marta s next installment!

(13 July 2009) The latest release from Glenn A Payne, a longstanding A&R professional based in the UK, is a fantastic collection of fourteen new country tracks on one hit album! Songs feature the best and finest of the new breed of country singers straight from the heart of Nashville including Amy Bonner, Andrea Childress, Mindy Ellis, Melissa Fuller and Laurie Killian Starr all on one great album. The collection is available currently on iTunes.

This Is Extreme Country Music (GAP Music (UK) GAP016, 2009) has been put together and created by renowned Nashville Producer Michael Salacuse. Michael's vision was to produce a new wave of country music where West meets East in this case USA meets Europe, to create a crossover ambiance that pulls together the best of both fusions: country and dance.

Andrea Childress opens the various artist compilation with the high energy "Other Side of Midnight." The song is exciting and full of non-stop action. Andrea's rich vocals are a highlight combined with the percussive-laden melody. She contributed four tracks to the album and continues to show her stuff on "Cowboy Up." This track has quick paced singing and an urgency to the hypnotic beat. "Cowboy Up Extreme Club Mixx" and "Cowboy Up Eurotwang Mixx" both step the songs up a few notches. These are great songs in which to showcase your dance moves.

A couple of men are represented on this fast-paced album as well. Hailing from Tennessee, country singer Craig Campbell makes his presence known with the heavily percussive "Baby I'm Your Man." Iowa born Bart Hansen showcases his talents with "Slo Ride," "Slo Ride Swing Mixx" and "Slo Ride Extreme Country Mixx." His rich baritone vocals lure the listener with his revved up country music.

Mindy Ellis moved to Nashville in 1997 to pursue her dreams. Her website describes her music as "country with a little attitude!" The description is spot-on in the more pop sounding "That's The Way." Mindy doesn't miss a beat with her strong vocals and broad range. In "Girlz Gone Wild" the country influence is prominent and her singing strengths are highlighted. She has great musical talent which is shown with great ease on these tracks.

"The Wonder of Love" features Amy Bonner. There is a carefree joyfulness to her singing, and she describes her music as "life dancing." She grew up with a wide variety of musical influences, and she said, "I've realized that I will never be better than everybody. I just have to contribute what talents God has given me in the way that only I can contribute them. And now, I have learned how to do that and be proud of what I can do."

Country/pop/rock singer Melissa Fuller struts her stuff with "Workin On a Better Day." She has great clarity in her vocals, and charms the listener with her captivating style. This twenty-something Wyoming girl exhibits great maturity for her age. This exciting singer/songwriter is certainly making her mark on the country audience.

Laurie Killian Starr puts a contemporary flair to "This Girlz Gone." Her country/rock musical talent abounds and she lives by the philosophy that "God has a plan for each and every one of us, a gift with which we can share his love. I'm blessed to be able to have the gift of music to share with you." Her humbleness is transformed into a dynamic execution of the music. "What Cha Gonna Do" has a more pop feel, and she makes a strong connection with her powerful vocals.

With the help of Glenn A Payne, this album matches up the talent of the vocalist with the meaning of each song. The results being some of the most infectious foot-tapping, stomping country/dance tunes that you are ever gonna hear this side of Nashville. Click on the photos above for further information on the vocalists. The album is available online at iTunes and as a compact disc from GAP Music. This Is Extreme Country Music is exactly what it says on the cover. Be prepared to hear country like you have never heard country before!--Audrey Elliot and Russ Elliot in New York