Violet by Eeppi Ursin

Vocalist and composer Eeppi Ursin meets musicians with jazz, progressive rock and pop-friendly sensibilities. Her angelic and present voice steers the flow through a sequence of blithe dreamscapes, powerful cadenzas, and jazz-rock riffs. Combined with horns and strings the septet's electrifying slant boasts a nicely balanced blend. The tuneful choruses amid elements of harmonically attractive exchanges between the soloists, Ursin's velvety manner of spinning lyrics acts as a sweetener to the ensemble's edgy performances. They also commingle a few dabs of grunge and dissonance while conveying a noticeable degree of imagination and versatility. There are some twists and turns as the band navigates through rock motifs with pizzazz and verve, also dabbling with Gothic stylizations on Russian Chant. On Foolish Heart, the septet renders a cute and irrefutably endearing hook constructed upon a swaggering bossa-nova pulse and Aki Rissanen's lyrically charged acoustic piano solo.
In sum, this album looms as one of those unexpected surprises. Then again, Scandinavia has blossomed into one of the more fertile musical regions on the globe, regardless of genre.

BMG is the crystallization of Mika Pohjola's artistic vision, spanning composition, performance, and production. Pohjola's musical journey took flight under the wing of the composer legend Gunther Schuller at GM Recordings. Recognized for his exceptional talent, Pohjola became a Steinway artist in 1997. He continues to curate a diverse repertoire, crafting music of unwavering quality.

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