Heidi Berry and Kirsten Braten-Berg

[katefans@chinet.chi.il.us (Chris n Vickie)]

Vickie here. Kjetil writes:

> In article <m0kc7cl-00024sC@chinet.chi.il.us> katefans@chinet.chi.il.us 
> (Chris n Vickie) writes:

>> ps, but before I start tapering off my postings, I want to recommend the
>> new Heidi Berry album 

I take that back. After many listens I've decided that it's definitely
*not* worth the import price for anyone outside of England, unless it's
on sale or used. It is a good album, but very conventional. It's as if
4AD wants to use this album to cater to the upscale yuppie market. It
makes for good background fine wine commercial music. Those in the States
would get just as good/the same type of music if they bought a Julia
Fordham album. Please note that I'm not intending to be derogatory to
either Heidi Berry or Julia Fordham, I like them both. I just want to
point out that 4AD imports are very expensive in the US, and, though I'd
pay the price in a minute for a new Dead Can Dance or Cocteau Twins
import, this Heidi Berry album, though good, is not worth that price.
Wait for it, I'm sure it will be released domestically at some point.

>> and an album called "Nordisk Sang" (which is an album of Norwegian
>> music that is some of the most beautiful and interesting traditional
>> music I've ever heard. The singer, Kirsten Braten Berg, has a voice
>> that will send you to heaven. IMHO, this is a wonderful album)

> Wow... this is one recommendation I'd *never* expect on gaffa. I must
> tell my father about this - he lives in the same "kommune" as Kirsten,
> a very small place with only 1200 inhabitants (they all know
> each other, see :) 

Great! Tell your father to tell Kirsten that I really do love the CD, 
which I found out is actually a compilation album of traditional
Norwegian songs, not just by one group. Though it seems as if Kirsten
sings on most of the songs, after more listens and perusing the CD booklet
closer, I realize that there are other female singers on it as well.

> I didn't even think "narrow" records like that were exported. Anyway,
> I'm glad you like Kirstin Braten Berg. While on this subject, I'd like
> to recommend "Sagn" by Arild Andersen, with Kirsten on vocals and
> Bendik Hofseth on sax. Thre's some really moody guitar by Frode Aln{s
> (it reminds me of Terje Rypdal, incidentally.) This is old folk songs
> ("stev") with sort of jazz topping. It has worked out very nicely.
> It's on "Kirkelig Kultur- verksted", FXCD 100, but I guess it will be
> as difficult to get hold of over there as Happy Rhodes is over here :-/

Sorry about the Happy problem. There are actually many places over here
that import traditional music on a regular basis, so I might very well
have an easier time finding "Sagn" than you think. I hope so anyway.

Vickie
katefans@chinet.chi.il.us

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