| Jazz |
For me, the album that stands out and allowed me to discover the music of Viktoria Tolstoy was her beautiful album “Letters to Herbie“, released in 2011. Her previous album “Stations” from 2019 only added to Viktoria’s musical excellence over time.
With a beautiful vocal technique and a selection of tracks from musicians and singers well-known to those who listen to Bayou Blue Radio, including Nils Landgren, Iro Rantala, Esbjörn Svensson, Ida Sand, Lars Danielsson, Caeclie Norby, etc., Viktoria adeptly appropriates each track with great intelligence. It’s an album characterized by its gentle and remarkably interpreted style.
Talking about this album so long before its release might surprise you, but the reason is simple: we receive so many albums that it’s challenging to keep up with the latest releases. With this album set to be released on March 1st and February already filled with other releases, the only way for us to talk about it is now.
“When you sing, the sun rises,” as Pat Metheny once told Viktoria Tolstoy. The common thread across all the tracks on “Stealing Moments” is her powerful, crystal-clear voice, coupled with her temperament, where lightness and sparkling energy irresistibly coexist. Listeners will enjoy this music as much as she does, and she knows it. As she subtly reformulates the words of the album title into an implicit invitation: “Let me steal a little bit of time to listen.”
Surrounded by remarkable musicians: Joel Lyssarides on piano & keys, Krister Jonsson on guitar, Mattias Svensson on bass, Rasmus Kihlberg on drums & percussion, all skillfully highlighting Viktoria’s voice, make this album a very intimate experience. The finesse is not only in the voice but also in the musicians’ play. This album is so easy to listen to that one finds oneself almost frustrated at the end, wishing for two or three more tracks. So, you go back to the beginning and settle in even more comfortably.
What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring? Artists like Viktoria Tolstoy have contributed to the radiance of the ACT label, and we are delighted that she hasn’t fallen through the cracks like many other talented artists who have disappeared from the label over the years.
“Stealing Moments” is a very European album that will certainly be appreciated in the USA for its sincerity in its creative form. The editorial teams of Bayou Blue Radio and Paris-move have once again placed this beautiful album on the “must-have” pile. If you enjoy romantic and poetic albums, this one is for you!
Thierry De Clemensat
USA correspondent – Paris-Move
Editor in chief Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, January 9th 2024
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This album will be available here on 1st March 2024, HERE