Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Eeppi Ursin Band: Violet

Eeppi Ursin Band: Violet

By Glenn Astarita
November 25, 2005
Sign in to view read count

Finnish vocalist Eeppi Ursin fronts a band that crosses jazz and progressive rock perimeters, along with some pop-friendly sensibilities. Her angelic and up front vocal delivery steers the flow through a sequence of blithe dreamscapes, powerful cadenzas, and jazz-rock riffs. And with additional horns, plus string players chipping in on certain tracks, the septet's electrifying slant boasts a nicely-balanced mix.

With tuneful choruses amid elements of harmonically attractive exchanges between the soloists, Ursin's velvety manner of spinning a lyric (in English) 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 Rissonen'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 or stereotype.

Track Listing

Absence of You; Split the Difference; Lonely Soul; Far Away Lands; My Guy; Russian Chant; Two in One; November Light; Foolish Heart; Give Your Mind a Rest.

Personnel

Eeppi Ursin

vocals

Eeepi Ursin: vocals; Tima Kamarainen: guitars, synths, backing vocals; Aki Rissanen: piano, keyboards; Antti Lotjonen: bass; Olli Krogerus: drums.

Album information

Title: Violet | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: 6Sense Records

< Previous
Jazzmandu 2005, Day 6: Jazz And Nepal...

Next >
Strange Village

Comments

About Eeppi Ursin

Instrument: Vocals

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.