Haroula Rose - Here the Blue River (2016)

Haroula Rose‘s voice is ethereal. In fact, first track “Songbird” kicks the album off appropriately, with a calm, enjoyable, otherworldly feel. (I also like that she ends the album with “Songbird (Reprise),” one of those cool things musicians used to do to bring their works of art full-circle back in the days when albums were king.) It’s followed by “Margo,” the song that perhaps stands out the most for me from this collection. It has a hooky rhythm and catchy chorus that inspires singing along. All this while maintaining the relaxed energy of the album as a whole. There’s a cool, rhythmic, musical line that adds character throughout “Moon and Waves” as the song periodically builds to power and mellows. “The River (Drifting)” has a uniquely haunting aspect to its mellowness with a cleverly picked string backed by a more formidable orchestral wall, as if ushering a classical movie soundtrack through one scene and on to the next. “Sirens” showcases a ’70s psychedelia musical vibe, pulsing along with its purposeful rhythm moving around a vocal more forceful than most on this disc, though still very high and light. Through “Premontion,” it flows into “This Old House,” a rather wistful, reminiscent, perhaps even melancholy track exceptionally well-suited to Haroula Rose’s soft delivery. Ethereal music is difficult to get right while keeping it interesting, but Here the Blue River seems to have achieved that balance.