Caroline Lynn - The Shaman's Kiss
Mental alarm bells might start ringing when one reads the marketing blurb on the CD case of Caroline Lynn's The Shaman's Kiss: apparently this album is a fusion of tabla, drone, jazz and exotic rhythms. But you can cast all expectations of shallow new age noodlings aside with just one listen.
New Zealand-born jazz singer Caroline Lynn clearly possesses a remarkable and versatile voice. She sounds at home grappling with the microtones of traditional Spanish song (opening Nana) as playing the role of a Celtic sorceress (The Moor Sighs).
Although recorded in Sydney with an Australian band, a key reference point for The Shaman's Kiss appears to be the recordings of European jazz label ECM. Fans of saxophonist Jan Garbarek's excursions into eastern tonalities will be instantly at home with Rick Robertson's fine horn playing. And there are moments where Lynn's purity of tone reminded me of English singer Norma Winstone. And it is rare to hear an antipodean jazz album that is so well produced: Hugh Frazer's acoustic bass is fat and round, and the rhythm section sounds well integrated within the mix. All in all, The Shaman's Kiss is a well constructed and intelligent album that will reward the careful listener.
- Richard "Cheese" Cotman
