Onda [Enhanced]

Fiamma Fumana | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 29, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Omnium
• ASIN: B000H0M4XO
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,020 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...one of the most successful acts at blending traditional/ethnic sounds with 21st century music technology. --Sing Out!

More than ever, the seams between real instruments and programming, between old and new, can't be seen. What they produce here is as much dance music as anything on their first two discs... --Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

Not the usual mix of ancient and modern element: there is brains, there is creativity, there is sunshine and pride in what you hear. You start from roots music, the music of Northern Italy and of Emilia Romagna Apennines in particular. From those sounds you set off for a sonic adventure that meets every possible contemporary suggestion. --Gabriele Ferraris, La Stampa (Italy)

Product Description

Fiamma Fumana's third album is called ONDA -- which means WAVE. We hear a wave coming. It comes from far away, it rises, it builds in strength. Our roots are its power source... The wave moves using modern communications: diverse people, once isolated by geography, now can connect their common interests and values. Everything is about to change. Everything is already changing. The music is changing, too. The ancestral sounds of bagpipe and accordion remain, with female vocals to the fore as always. Onda is produced by Peter Walsh (he's worked with Peter Gabriel, Robert Plant, and the Afro Celts). The lead track (and video) Prendi l'Onda features raps from Italian megastar Jovanotti & London Jamaican MC Navigator (of Asian Dub Foundation).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkble music: extraordinarily danceable and sing-along-able, November 1, 2008

By 

E. Beckstrom (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Onda (Audio CD)

Much of Fiamma Fumana's music is founded upon Northern Italian traditional folk music, with many a nod to Scottish folk music as well. FF seasons these traditional sounds and themes with contemporary ideas - for example, waiting around in airports between flights, in "Check In" - and modern sounds - perhaps most notably, Medhin Paolos's electronica, which is laced throughout their albums; but also Lisa Kant's vocals, which sometimes strike a traditional, soulful stance, just as they at other times strike a modern rock pose. It is this amalgam of the traditional and the modern which is FF's defining characteristic.

Onda is a superb album. Lisa's vocals display remarkable virtuosity on each and every song. She simply has a beautiful voice, at times gentle and soothing, at other times, bursting with good-natured energy. Another distinctive feature of FF music is the often unexpected and delightful presence of Alberto Cottica's piano and acoustic guitar, which are often subtly interlaced throughout the electronica. Lady Jessica's pipes and whistles and Alberto's accordion are also defining sounds.

I mentioned before that Onda is bursting with good-natured energy. Let me add that this characteristic is indeed one of the things that makes this album so much fun: it is genuinely upbeat. While it is in many ways "modern" music, there is nothing cynical about it. On the contrary, it is a celebration of human perseverance, comradery, and talent. These latter items define FF's philosophy. If you read around on their website, it becomes very clear that these are very smart, good, and talented people who want to preserve great music, along with an emotional connection with the past, but who also want to bring these traditions forward to effect positive change in the here and now. If this all seems too heady, don't worry: this album is extraordinarily danceable and sing-along-able. Anyone with half a soul won't be able to resist smiling and tapping a toe. (Side note: For anyone who has seen FF live, their studio albums are NOT a letdown. I saw them play in Bloomington IN back in '06, and immediately purchased all their albums, and have not been disappointed by a single track. For anyone who has not seen them live, do so if you can - they're amazing.)

One more thing: If you listen to some Fiamma Fumana and like it, do an Amazon search for "Contatto." "Contatto" is Lisa Kant's remarkable solo album; but since it features her Fiamma Fumana cohorts providing instrumentation, hearing it is almost like discovering a lost FF album. See my review.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something Different!, January 30, 2007

By 

D. A. McGough - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Onda (Audio CD)

If you want to listen to something different in a good way, this is for you. You'll be singing along, even if you only speak english. This is a musical treat that will give you a new perspective on contempoary music with an international flavor.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb album, December 13, 2006

By 

Jason L. Wadsworth (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Onda (Audio CD)

I saw Fiamma Fumana perform live at Lotus Festival in Bloomington Indiana back in September of 2006 and they really know their stuff. I bought this album along with their previous album 'Home' and have listened to it numerous times in the car. This group has a really great sound that's composed of world music with strong european influences along with very catchy head-bopping electronic beats. Beautiful vocals. Beautiful artists! They use unique instruments such as the Accordian and the Bag pipes which combined with some of the newer instruments and they really work and sound well together! It's not exactly electronica and it's not exactly world music but rather perhaps a fusion of the two. Very very good stuff! Get it!