Inna Zhelannaya feat. Trey Gunn – Cocoon (7d Media)

The idea of combining indigenous folk music with modern instrumentation is hardly an original one. But as many times as I’ve heard it done to American, Celtic, African and even Scandinavian folk songs, Cocoon is the first time I’ve ever experienced it with Russian tunes. Inna Zhelannaya is a star in her homeland, both solo and as a member of the Farlanders, but Cocoon is her first American release. Working with touch guitarist/co-producer Trey Gunn, Zhelannaya takes a batch of elderly songs – some over 1000 years old – and lays them in atmospheric, almost ambient electronic beds that often twist worldbeat clichés and rock dynamics into new shapes. With the emphasis on her sonorous voice, which often recalls the work of soaring mantras of Indian and Middle Eastern singers, Zhelannaya and Gunn’s vision ranges from the ghostly “Youth” and “Pavushka” to the pulsating, agitated “Drunk” and “The River.” There are a lot of familiar tonalities and rhythms here, but to say these songs sound like anything else would be misleading. Containing a lot of challenging, beautiful music, Cocoon should open a few ears and minds.

http://www.inasound.ru
http://www.7dmedia.com