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Written in fRoots issue 189, 1999
 

SANNA KURKI-SUONIO
Musta
Zen Garden GAR 24 (1998)

Sanna Kurki-Suonio is probably best known, outside Finland at least, as one of the two Finnish singers with the magnificent Hedningarna, but for several years she has been involved in other projects, including early involvement with the groups which became Loituma, Me Naiset and Tellu, the creation of works for solo voice with modern dancer Petri Kauppinen, leading the promising but short-lived band Sans, collaboration with pop singer Ismo Alanko, and recently magnetically gracing Norwegian band Transjoik’s stage presence. Throughout she has been developing her solo work, which is much shaped by the lyric forms, winding melodies and stress-varying rhythms of runo-song.
      It’s been clear for some time that she was destined to be strong force in Finnish song, and with Musta (“black”), her first solo album, she takes a major step.
      Her voice, an instrument of great subtlety, from silkily cajoling to keening to strident, is paramount. The opening track builds its whole picture from vocals, multi-layered drones and sounds rising to an extraordinary soaring, winnowing howl. The reflective Minne features just a winding vocal line over a warm bass, Arja Kastinen’s kantele and a rhythmic Laurie Anderson-like “ha” looped vocal slice. Particularly in-drawing is Pilven Tyttö, with that track’s producer Otto Donner’s distant muted trumpet over a cello and bass shifting drone, ominously floating, repeatedly picking up to a stress-varying pace then pulling back into calm.
      Her lyrics are rich in images, water-glittering, contrasting elemental motifs, and like the melodies they are both rewoven and new-created from the Finno-Ugrian oral tradition which Kurki-Suonio embraces and of which her songs are a continuing part.
      Four different producers were involved; some of their approaches, such as the techno thump and tizz of the second track, Manaus (a radio mix of which has already achieved considerable popularity in Finland), perhaps court datedness but may well lure an audience into the greater depths and more timeless music and lyrics to be found here.


© 1998 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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