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: Urna's 2001 "Jamar"

Urna

Jamar

Trees Music & Art

Mongolia's Urna performs her signature vocals on Jamar. In this case, Mongolia's national instrument, the morin huur (horsehead fiddle), makes an appearance, unlike on her other recordings. In addition, a zither, percussion, and throat-singing is included, too. Jamar is closely aligned with elements of Chinese folk music, which results from Urna's global wanderings over the years. It is an engaging journey, a movie soundtrack, a day on the steppes, and a peaceful river of harmony, style, and rhythm. A particularly interesting track is "Grandmother and I". It features a spritely rhythm, good tempo, folk-roots elements, lively vocals, and catchy sounds. The zither sounds similar in tone to a cross between a piano and acoustic guitar. Jamar is a trans-global recording primarily inspired by the historical roots of Mongolian and Chinese music creations. Urna is easily one of the best recording artists to emerge out of Mongolia. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Urna's 1999 "Hodood"

Urna

Hodood

Trees Music & Art

Hodood, or "in the steppe", is a more traditional, yet somewhat modernized recording with various instrumentation, awe-inspiring vocals, and spacious sounds. Hodood is a perfect journey through a Mongolian and Chinese musical history. This album includes a little throat-singing, spoken word, and a sheng, also known as a mouth organ. A drum, zither, and cello to round out the instrumental repertoire. Urna's vocalizations are indicative of some European and Scandinavian folk-roots music. However, Urna's voice is distinctly Mongolian. One highlight of many is the track, "Sangjidorji", which is a rather poignant song about one of the most famous Freedom Fighters from the Ordos (southern Mongolia). The incredible quality of the music and production reminds the listener this might be a Real World Records release. In fact, it is difficult to believe all the sounds on Hodood do not incorporate some type of electronic instrumentation. The mix of shamanic sounds, haunting vocals, cool instrumentation, attractive packaging and detailed liner notes in English, Mongolian, and Chinese, make Hodood a remarkable album of contemporary Mongolian music. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Urna's 2005 release "Amilal"

Urna

Amilal

Trees Music & Art

Mongolia's Urna Chahar Tugchi is a master of song and voice. Her pleasant singing is reminiscent of Tibet's Yungchen Lhamo and Namgyal Lhamo. Amilal, which means "life", is a glowing album of Middle Eastern and Central Asian sensibilities with the zarb, violin, daf, and udu comprising the instrumental repertoire. Urna's vocals are sung in Mongolian. Additionally, the liner notes include Mongolian, English, and Chinese song translations. The songs are not influenced by the electronic and modernized, Western sounds of most contemporary recordings coming out of Mongolia today. Furthermore, Amilal does not contain any throat-singing or presence of the national folk instrument, the morin huur fiddle. Amilal strikes a balance between a cascade of vocals and sparse instrumentation. At any rate, one can hear the airy expanse of the Mongolian steppes melding with the glorious voice of Urna. ~ Matthew Forss