Chiaroscuro

Tightrope walking the line between Enya-style easy-listening crap and transcendent delicate vocal artistry with innovative orchestral fusions, Henriksen falls somewhere between Modern Classical and World music. The elusive female vocals possess a musical sensitivity that ultimately places this CD (in my opinion) in the realm of art -- not elevator -- music. The instruments used, although completely unidentifiable, provide a unique richness and texture that perfectly balance the vocal work. A challenging listen as many tracks seem to lack direction and drive, but an interesting journey nonetheless. Play: 1,5,6,9
1) Warm atmospheric noise with some instrument that sounds like muted trumpet improvising a mournful hollow tune. Beautifully fluid and dynamical. 2 Minutes in, vocals take charge, singing a nostalgic, pining tune punctuated by really intense moments. 2) Slightly more motion than the previous track. There are now various forms of percussion, tapping and pulsing rapidly. Engaging cut. 3) Extremely slow and ambient. [Almost] entirely beatless, the track moves in and out of existence. Murky and haunting. 4) Ambient and instrumental, drifting. 5) Quiet and pensive. Gentle muted horns, one of those shaking-gourd percussion things, and powerfully musical vocals. 6) Warm pulsing (Indian?) drums with sensual work on the forms a la Jaga Jazzist. More condensed and cohesive than most of the other cuts 7) Eastern-sounding flute melodies over whispy electronic noise. 8) Brooding, dark and ambient. No vox. 9) Creamy layered brass with a hypnotic pulsing percussion section. 10) Short and mournful; combining the flute and the brass instruments in a seamless warm evocative cut without the vocals.
-Mike, i.e. The Professor