eMusic

Start Your Trial

Star Of The Sea

by

Stellamara

 
Star Of The Sea
view larger image View Larger

Rate it!

Avg: 4.0 (17 ratings)

  • They Say...

    The influences that contribute to this album are as diverse as any you'll find. Recorded in the San Francisco and released by the avant-garde independent label City of Tribes, it is an intriguing example of world music. The musical instrumentation is more Eastern than Western in its leanings. While everything from keyboard samples to cello can be heard on the recording, the standout instruments are the oud, riqq, hammered dulcimer, and other unusual Eastern strings and drums. Lead singer Sonja Drakulich has a floating, agile voice that is perfectly suited (and probably better trained) to the Eastern scale than the Western. Her interpretation of lyrics that are, in many cases, eight centuries old is masterful. However, the lack of traditional structure renders the melody line rather inaccessible to the average listener. The only track that really draws in the listener is "Del Mar Rojo," a song with lyrics composed by the Sephardic Jewry at the time of the Spanish Inquisition. On the flip side, the track most in keeping with the theme of the album may be "Leda": After a two-minute intro, it segues into a string passage so gentle you can almost forget you're listening to anything at all. The final track, a traditional Croatian song called "Oj Jabuko," is unusual because of its highly dissonant harmonies and percussion-driven structure. The timeless, lingering tone of the album brings to mind isolated monasteries, endless deserts, and ancient villages.

  • You Say...

    Write a Review

    I would like to say...

    Artist: Stellamara

    Album: Star Of The Sea

    Review Title: (maximum 50 characters)

    Your Review: (maximum 1,000 characters)

    Cancel

    Please keep your comments to the recordings themselves, and be courteous and respectful. Thanks! For further info, read our Community Guidelines.

The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

© 1998-2009 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.