Search - Kirile Loo :: Lullabies for Husbands

Melodic Techno-jazz meets indigenous chant

Susan E. Erickson | North Branch, MN USA | 06/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was a very intriguing recording. Recorded in Germany by a Finnish artist, all lyrics are traditional. Kirile Loo is a superb and subtle vocalist, and you don't need to understand Finnish to thoroughly enjoy this album because her voice is a very flexible, emotional instrument. Tiit Kikas is credited with all the instrument playing which range from sampler and electric violin to norwegian flute and tin whistle. Kirile's singing combines many traditional singing techniques with a sometimes jazz-like arrangement. Other songs sound like it could be native American chanting (some sound like they could have been performed by Ulali). Well worth the listen and the wait. But then I love Scandinavian roots music and how they stretch the limits in lovely ways."

A modern interpretation of Estonian traditional runic song

Martin Jänes | Tallinn, Estonia | 06/18/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First I'd like to correct something the previous reviewer has said. Kirile Loo is not Finnish, but comes from Estonia, Finland's southern neighbour, who's culture and language are closely related to those of the Finns (both nations, belonging to the Balto-Finnic language group, also share the ancient tradition of singing in Kalevala metre or runic verse - the 'regiv?rss'). On this album Kirile Loo offers a number of traditional Estonian folksongs and -chants interpreted in a highly original and modern fashion, spiced with elements from jazz and electronic beat. The sounds that Tiit Kikas produces with sampler and a wide range of exotic instruments blend truely wonderfully with Kirile Loo's mesmerizing voice and really make for an enjoyable listening experience. I would recommend this album to any world/ethnic music fan. The review, however, loses a star because I personally find a bit disturbing the way the singer transgresses against one of the fundamental rules of singing in regiv?rss - the verse's priority over sillable stress; a peculiar feature, which always provides the runic song with a special essence of magic. Someone not familiar with the tradition probably won't be bothered by it, though."