OANA CĂTĂLINA CHIŢU
Divine
CD-Arts 3913
* * * *
Maria Tănase (1913-63) was sometimes called the “Edith Piaf
of Romania.” Like Piaf, she was a diva in the best sense, a singer that mined
her nations various influences–gypsy, jazz, cabaret, tango, folk melodies….
Although the soulless apparatchiks labeled her decadent and tried to silence
her, Romanians flocked to her funeral in 1963 and mourned her passing. All of
this is to say that mortals don’t meddle with her repertoire. Enter the
heavenly voice of Oana Cătălina Chiţu,
Romanian-born and now a resident of Berlin. Chiţu wends her way through a dozen Tănase favorites by
both evoking her idol and by hitting the refresh button. She masters silly
songs such as “Train, Little Train,” wrenches emotion from soulful lamentations
such as “Oh World, Oh World,” is giddy with café-style love in “If I Hadn’t Met
You,” and fans the flames of torchy selections such as “I’ve Put Sweet Basil in
My Hair.” Then there are the songs on which Chiţu
puts her own stamp. “Pe Vale” has a honky tonk feel that’s more Patsy
Cline than Maria Tănase, “You Have
No Idea” is a sexy tango reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich, and “He Who Loves and
Runs Away” establishes an experimental and discordant base from which to launch
Chiţu’s cover of Tănase’s done-her-wrong song.
This is a brilliant album for which much of the credit
should go to the amazing musicians assembled. Special shout outs go to
violinist Slavici Anton, saxophonist Vladimir Karparov, and accordionist Dejean
Jovanovic. But above all, there is Chiţu.
She is the equal to any jazz diva on the planet and has considerably more spunk
than most of them. This is a tribute album, but it’s also primal, exuberant,
and original. --Rob Weir
Here's a YouTube sample of Chitu's singing.
No comments:
Post a Comment