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CD Review
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Cosmos Gaming, CD Review >>
Music: Kitka: The Rusalka Cycle- Songs Between the Worlds
Our Take
Kitka is a nine women choral group from the San Francisco Bay Area that focuses on Eastern European compositions. The Rusalka Cycle, the group’s latest release pulls from Slavic folklore and Ukrainian tradition with the help of acclaimed singer Mariana Sadovska. The result is a release that as powerful as it is spiritual and unique. Not many US based artists have produced compositions around the old time traditions of Ukraine and the other Baltic areas, so Kitka should certainly be commended for doing so. Each of the members of Kitka have extraordinary voices, and it really shows on The Rusalka Cycles. Though many of the songs on this release are not in English, by the time there is one that is listeners likely won’t notice just because of how mesmerizing each person’s voice is. Their vocal range really shows on the track “Sirens” which sounds like a spiritual chant striving to get rid of evil spirits. The group went to great lengths to make sure each track was authentic, and the results reveal an intriguing old world tradition that is breathtaking with every note.
There are some instrumentals on The Rusalka Cycle but the majority of the material on this release is a cappella. As with similar groups that pull this style off, Kitka’s vocalists are able to fill each song with their voices and create melodies and harmonies without the use of instrumentals. “Sirens” features some backing horn and other instrumental work, but everything else stays within the minimalist range and just lightly adds to the vocals.
The Rusalka Cycle is a unique journey through old world songs that much of the Western world will have been unlikely to have heard before. Kitka has not only added beautiful and haunting melodies to Eastern folklore on this album, but have also ensured that these songs won’t be lost to the ages. And though the compositions may not be in English, that won’t stop them from appealing to a wide range of listeners.
By: Chris Dahlberg
12/18/07 >> go there
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