Customer Reviews

R7

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This record is - to someone who knows the language and cultural context - somewhat of a disappointment, even though the quality of the music and performance is certainly very good. The selection of songs is certainly excellent and the arrangements are great too.

Susanne Rosenberg is clearly very talented but she insists on robbing the songs of their local context by performing them in the most extreme and artifical "standard" Swedish that I have heard in a long while.

To illustrate what I mean to those who do not speak the language, imagine the Southern Blues sung in Oxford English or in that plain American accent of a network news anchor... The feeling would be entirely different, right? Local dialect and sensitivity to the cultural context certainly brings a lot to any style of singing!!

To add a little more context, the so called "standard" Swedish is only used in the capital and by TV and radio. People outside the capital have long felt colonized by those arrogant Stockholmers and have always insisted on their own local identity in language and otherwise. So, in this way, the people of the local areas where these songs originated might justifiably feel robbed by this insensitive use of their heritage.

I bought this disc a few years back when I was getting into more world music, and its been in regular rotation in my CD player ever since.

What it sounds like... Cold, icy, blue, rocky, furious and majestic. The kind of music that you SHOULD hear when walking beside the sea with huge waves breaking across rocks. The strings are fantastic, clear and present. The album is well recorded, and the voices are incredible.

Can't recommend this album enough!

I really enjoy listening to this cd. This group's talent is impressive. I especially enjoy the accompaniment by the string section. I've listened to other Swedish cds, and being somewhat familiar with the language myself, the accent of the singers seems different than other swedish folk groups I've heard. Nevertheless, this record is wonderful! If you don't buy it for the vocals, buy it for the string section!

I originally heard Susanne Rosenberg's voice accompanying some of Hoven Droven's songs... and knew it was something special. the third track, in particular, highlights her impressive voice, as much for the whimsical tone it evokes as the tonal range she can summon.

but the album is also impressive for the quality of the string arrangements. the phrasing, and interplay, of the vocal parts and the strings adds a texture and richness to an album which is, otherwise, very simple in its production.

This is a great CD with some great energy and feeling behind it. The first number, Leyja Tjastapiga (?) I heard on a recording of an old woman singing it abour 1940. This version of it really brings it to life. "Nu Vila Hela Jorden" is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The singing is great and the musicianship is top notch.

Mixing traditional music with eerie string arrangements, Rosenberg 7 have created something truly unique, beautiful and haunting.

The glory of female voices presented in as compelling a way as can be imagined! I can't recommend this disc highly enough.