Sonya Belaya | Songs My Mother Taught Me

Family Average: 3/7

Look below and see what the family had to say.

If ya need an album to transport you out into an ancient forgotten wilderness than Sonya Belaya has got your back. This thing is everything I want to hear in a folk album, and I don’t get to see it come up too often. I guess my problem is that folk is a pretty broad genre. Often times people hear someone strumming an acoustic guitar and say “Hey great folk tune”. This leads the genre to get a little ambiguous with many “Folk” artists sounding very little alike. It’s basically the wild wild west baby! If I was going to plot this album it would nestle into the more atmospheric side of the spectrum. I was reminded of acts like Grouper that like Sonya Belaya inject a darkness and mystery into their work.

The percusion on the album is massive in scale giving the presence of some kind of grand festival. While the drums are doing their thing strings are rattling alongside them droning on and on in this lovely way only a droning sound can do. Weaving in and out of these two is Sonya’s voice which does an incredible job in bringing it all together. 

4/7

Poetry in music form, like not the words, the music itself is poetry. Her voice is eerie; hauntingly simple and the brass paired with it is just beautiful. Sweetness for all your senses. 

6/7

This was not something that resonates with me, it sounded like church music, or a Russian musical, she has a good voice but it’s just not something that I would enjoy listening to by choice.

1/7 

I would have just preferred the instrumentals;  I felt that the vocals detracted from the big picture -- they sound like an out of place awkwardly pitched knife cutting through all of the feelings and emotions I was ENJOYING.

2/7