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This album couldn’t be further from the Rigmor Gustafasson / radio.string.quartet.vienna album Calling You even if it does feature a sting quartet as well.

The opening track is a monster called ‘Paralysed’ that’s all string quartet laden, chart pop sweet and lyrically as dark as the Black Sabbath; now there’s a combination! The sleeve notes reveal that Josefine she grew up in the middle of big forest in Sweden and her debut album, Songs Of The Falling Feather is stark to say the least but with a strange lightness - light as a feather?

All the music and lyrics written by Josefine and arranged by her and Henrik Lindstrand (who joined a band called Kashmiir in 2001; guess who their favourite rock band are) but this is nothing like jazz or 70’s prog rock gods.

Cronholm’s sound is quite unique. ‘Seagulls’ is a prime example of post-jazz folktronica that features the muted trumpet of Gummar Halle so you know there’s a jazz heritage to it; and as she does a sort of skat that blends with the electronic winds, its not jazz at all..

Josefine’s vocals are crystal clear throughout and are most Joni Mitchell-esque on ‘Fountain’ where she is accompanied by Henrik on piano which is the most beautifully haunting track.

This is not what you expect from a double Danish Jazz Grammy ward winner (she featured with Ibis on Wild Garden on Denmark’s Stunt Records in 2002 and more recently the collaboration with Steen Rasmussen on the Latin jazz album Amanhã - I Morron - Tomorrow). The change of style and career break coincided with the passing of her father and the birth of her second child.

Now recording a body of songs that are clearly more personal and introspective, she really does excel at the ‘Joni’ ballads. ‘Angel’ is mournful and stunning at the same time with Halle getting a solo at the end. And ‘Sailor’ is another that weaves around the trumpet, strings, piano as the loss of her father is still clearly raw. ‘Lonely Is The Heart’ is a step to far into Radio 2-land for me lyrically.
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As a keen swimmer (see HERE for my latest Oceanic exploits), I’m rather partial to songs that are water related so with that in mind, ‘Mermaids’ is sublime as the strings are back supporting gentle electric guitar lines. This is so Big Chill I must have a word with Pete Lawrence as I think he’d love this (as yet another aside, his Sunday set with guests was brilliant last year and let’s hope there’s more of the same this).

And whilst on the subject of summer festivals, ‘Winter Princess’ is in that Cinematic Orchestra tension style and the first track that is more of a band production as Per Ekdahl joins in on drums.

Arguably the climax/culmination of the album is the closing track ‘Mystery’ (as in the meaning of life and everything is mystery) but she really does go the extra mile on this one vocally.

The impressive cover is by Birgit Brenner and is called ‘Angst vor Gesichtsröte’, I’ve no idea what this translates as but there’s definitely angst with Songs Of The Falling Feather but in an good and intriguing way.

Reviewed: Josefine Cronholm - Songs Of The Falling Feather (ACT Music) Cat. No ACT 9495-2 Release date: 5th April 2010
1. Paralysed (4:02)
2. Seagulls (5:05)
3. Fountain (6:01)
4. Mermaids (3:09)
5. Winter Princess (4:55)
6. Angel (5:34)
7. Quiet (3:29)
8. Sailor (6:14)
9. Lonely Is The Heart (6:14)
10. Mystery (7:04)

Links:
www.actmusic.com
sundance.dk