CD Review: Urna's 'Portrait: The Magical Voice From Mongolia'

Urna
Portrait: The Magical Voice of Mongolia
Network

Urna is an Inner Asian songstress from the great, vast expanse of Mongolia. With ties to China and Western Europe, Urna employs a range of instrumentation that represents Inner Asian genres. The violin, zither, sheng, cello, zarb, udo, viola, accordion, morin huur, sax, guitar, and assorted percussion make up the instrumental repertoire on many of the songs. The spacious acoustics and free-flowing vocals are not particularly throat-singing examples. This is classic, Mongolian vocal and instrumental music that is calm, reserved, and contemplative. It is not rigid, boring, or plain. The music is similar in tone to contemporary examples coming out of Nepal and Tibet. Yungchen Lhamo is a similar comparison. At any rate, the thirteen tracks and one hour of music are a joy for fans of Inner Asian folk music. Liner notes are in German, English, and French. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Maria Volonte's 'Portrait'

Maria Volonte

Portrait

Network

Argentina's Maria Volonte is a talented singer and guitarist with a career spanning fifteen to twenty years. About a half-dozen albums under her belt, Maria brings us a selection of some of those songs on Portrait. Sixteen songs highlight Maria's career as a rootsy, folk-centered musician with an earthy charisma not usually observed in other South American musicians. Nearly one-hour of music includes the lighter sounds of South America without the more technical wizardry of more contemporary musicians. Despite a lack of electronica or dance music, Maria shines bright as a folk singer with rhythms as hot as her voice. Fans of jazz, Latin, Argentinian, and folk music will love it. A 'portrait' is only a snapshot in time, but Maria defies time. Moreover, a detailed liner booklet includes a biography, song information, and other notes in English, German, and French translations. ~ Matthew Forss

LinkTV - Television Without Borders

LinkTV is an independently-funded channel on DISH and DirecTV that brings the world's cultures to viewers in their living rooms. They bring us international news, documentaries, world cinema, world music videos, and much much more. They are in need of donations to continue. Please save this valuable resource by helping them survive by donating any amount to: https://www.linktv.org/contribute

Matthew Forss