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CD Review
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Sing Out!, CD Review >>
One of the most striking sounds to have captured global attention in the past few years was the hypnotic growl of Tuvan throat singers.
Albert Kuvezin was a founding member of Huun-Huur-Tu, the traditional throat singing ensemble which first brought this distinctive sound to the wider world. He became enraptured with western rock and decided to form Yat-Kha to express his vision of a Tuvan/rock fusion.
Yat-Kha blends throat singing and traditional Tuvan instruments (such as the "yat-kha," a long zither like instrument which sounds like a cross between a harp and a mandolin) with electric guitars, bass, and drums.
Previous Yat-Kha albums focused on new arrangements of traditional Tuvan material. Re-Covers, by contrast, features interpretations of well known rock, country, folk and blues tunes. Several years ago, Kuvezin was injured in a car crash, and while convalescing, he spent time listening to his collection of rock and blues recordings. That period inspired him to create this album of radically re-worked renditions of tunes by the likes of Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, Led Zeppelin, Kraftwerk and Iron Butterfly wherein all are transformed into bluesy Tuvan folk-rock. In fact, most of the selections are barely recognizable, except for hints of the original melodies.
For example, the legendary "In A Gadda Da Vida," Iron Butterfly's cheesy psychedelic stomper, here becomes a strange and beautiful ballad with Kuvezin's voice backed by the strummed and plucked yat-kha over repeating bass lines and percussion. You'll recognize the lyrics, but the only time the original melody surfaces in a recognizable fashion is as a brief coda at the end. Hank Williams' "Ramblin' Man" becomes a spectral piece with a slow, heavy beat, more plucking and what appear to be electronic effects underneath Kuvezin's growling. And only the most attentive listeners will recognize Bob Marley's classic "Exodus." Everything has been changed except the lyrics.
I had wondered what might happen if Mr. Kuvezin tried a British style folk song. Well, one of those is on here too -- "Wild Mountain Thyme." Forget The Byrds' rendition or any other version of this you may have heard. Kuvezin rasps his way through an almost a capella arrangement backed only by low droning and something that sounds like a high whistle.
Those who wish to learn exactly why Kuvezin picked these particular songs for this project should read his brief comments in the CD insert where he explains his choices.
I'm sure some readers are wondering about the wisdom of this project. Is it a gimmick - does it really work? But maybe that doesn't really matter. This is clearly something Kuvezin wanted to do, and Yat-Kha's radically different interpretations of these songs make this an absolutely unique project. 01/05/07
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