Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Eva Hren & Sladcore
Label: Celinka
Release: 2012
Length: 38:40
Rating: 4/5
Picture yourself somewhere in the middle of New York during Prohibition, in a smoky nightclub, watching the very first steps of Frank Sinatra’s career as he covers the Slovenian folk song »Tam dol na ravnem polju«. American traditional pop manner, mixed with swing and jazz. And if I’m going to be even more of a sharp-eared smartass: if an orchestra of woodwinds and strings sneaked in alongside, I’d almost think the piece had been arranged by George Gershwin himself,… That’s more or less what Slovenian singer and guitarist Eva Hren serves up with her backing crew Sladcore.
A collection of 12 Slovenian folk songs dressed up in a vivid palette of genres, whose arrangements step well beyond the lead melodies of the originals and so actually touch on the melos of world cultures, customs and habits. There’s the famous »Moj očka ima konjička dva« backed with an almost bossa nova rhythm, as if Stan Getz himself had given it his own spin in the arrangements, or the almost gospel-like jazzy temptation in »Barčica po morju plava«. Quite often the approach is for the musicians to work lines with minor chords into the recognizable lead melody, but there’s no fear the gang loses the red thread in this peculiar musical experiment. »Plenička prala je«, for instance, is completely transformed in its lead melody. In that track, the mix of soul and R&B with soft smooth jazz contrasts in the rhythmic solutions and melos isn’t far at all from the commercial tricks Sade pulled off in the eighties. Then there’s »Ko študent na rajžo gre« with a nifty blend of jazz and »cowboy« music (banjo), and a nifty upgrade of traditional ethno melos with the basics of jazz funk fusion in »Jaz pa grem na zeleno travco«.
The main thing about the album »Etnosoul« is Eva’s vocal. It’s supple, soft, fragile, knows how to mislead and lure like a girl (Šetala se gori doli), and just as easily tease mischievously. An exceptionally pleasant timbre, which Eva builds on in her interpretation with sensitivity and an honest surrender to the feeling, and that’s the prerequisite for the music on »Etnosoul« to breathe effectively. The schizophrenically dissonant jazz note in »Trzinka«, set against the trivially easy, repetitive lead tune of the folk original, is actually necessary to carry the listenability and arranging boldness that give this version the credibility to earn its spot on the CD’s tracklist.
The backing crew of musicians is damn good. They’re schooled and seasoned, with smooth jazz running in their veins. So around Eva’s vocal they build a juicy, nicely contrasted, organic spectrum of rich sonic backdrops, made up of assorted woodwinds, classical piano, tickling violins (Vsi so prihajali) and keyboards, plus the obligatory acoustic guitar in the accompaniment. Not to ramble on.
Seismic shocks of a newly charted avant-garde direction, the fruit of authorial art-world insight, are of course not on the menu this time. And we’ve seen fun experiments reworking Slovenian traditional ethno melos before. Still, it’s a unique and special album, and that’s the essence that draws you in! At first glance, the form of the constant tradition of melos in Slovenia’s beloved folk »serenades« looks seemingly (or »by ear«) cast in concrete, but it turns out it can be changed. Let’s call it a wildly successful combination with full effect. All in all, the album »Etnosoul« is a relaxed and hugely fun experiment, one that will appeal especially to those of you looking for something unusual. This time, within the usual. That’s exactly why most of the folks of Dolina Šentflorjanska (Slovenia’s proverbial small-town heartland) will have no trouble identifying with this release. Amid all the experimenting, the typical hallmark of Slovenian ethno melos stays clearly preserved and front and center.
Line-up
Eva Hren – vocals
Blaž Grm – keyboards, piano, bass guitar, drums, percussion, choir
GUEST MUSICIANS:
MArko Boh – keyboards, choir
Marko Gregorič – choir
Klemen Kotar – saxophone
Andraž Mazi – electric & acoustic guitar
Production
Blsž Grm & Franci Rainer
Tracklist
1. Šetala se gori doli
2. Moj očka ima konjička dva
3. Barčica po morju plava
4. Pleničke je prala
5. Žabe svatbo so imele
6. Vsi so prihajali
7. Ko študent na rajžo gre
8. Jaz pa grem na zeleno travco
9. Škrjanček poje
10. Ob bistrem potoku je mlin
11. Trzinka
12. Tam dol na ravnem polju
