Vibrating strings
On her new album "Papito", Erika Stucky gives preference to the strings rather than the wind instruments for once. Together with seven baroque musicians, the singer has recorded twelve pieces that are as unconventional as they are convincing.
Instead of uniformity, Erika Stucky prefers to devote herself to the astonishing. The music of the artist, who was born in San Francisco in 1962 and has so far mainly moved between pop, avant-garde jazz and entertainment, strikes a chord on her album Papito new paths: Inspired by her late father, a butcher, she wanted to fuel her sound this time not with brass or woodwinds, but with strings: "I wanted to feel the vibrations of intestines, to hear the animals cry, so to speak," remarked Stucky, who is known for her idiosyncrasy.
She has recorded her new dozen songs with members of the baroque orchestra La Cetra Basel. An unexpected combination, but one that works. In parts, the album is reminiscent of last year's Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets by Rufus Wainwright, on which the US American crossed opera music with chamber pop and recitations. Stucky takes the game even further by not only acting more hot-headed, but also bringing jazz and electronics into play.
The record begins with Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by George Gershwin, which Stucky enriches with birdsong, harpsichord and languorous violin sounds, with her voice becoming increasingly grandiose. Other cover versions such as the string-driven I Want You by the Beatles or the one characterized by jealousy Don't Explain by Billie Holiday prove to be both an homage and a suitable vehicle for Stucky to give free rein to her emotions.
Her own pieces are more experimental: while the spooky Kindly Do to the dissonant, tends to Barbed wire, which tells of a woman's encounter with the wrong man, to the threatening. The concluding Aftermath may seem tender, but it can and will never completely shed its unsettling mood. It all comes together to create a work that is both unconventional and bold, but also turns out to be a listening pleasure that never ceases to surprise.
Papito. Erika Stucky, vocals; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; FM Einheit, soundscapes, electronics, percussions; La Cetra Barockorchester. Traumton Records 4656
