Reiseiland (Appel Rekords, 2011)
Reiseiland is the latest solo album by the well-known Flemish singer-songwriter Soetkin Collier. There is a thriving contemporary folk music scene in Flanders (Belgium) and Collier participates in several bands like Floes, Laïs, and Urban Trad.
Although Collier sings in Flemish, her music goes beyond Belgium’s borders. Her album includes traditional music influences from Sweden (where she spent some time), India, Brazil, the Middle East and the Celtic countries and regions. From Sweden she also brought back some of her vocal methods and the nyckelharpa.
A lot of the inspiration on Reiseiland came from Collier’s trip to Faro (Fårö in Swedish), a small Baltic Sea island north of the island of Gotland, off Sweden’s southeastern coast. The island is a remote area with unusual rock formations called rauk that appear on the cover of the album.
Soetkin Collier is accompanied by renowned musicians in the Flemish scene. Her band consists of Sophie Cavez on accordion, Tom Theuns on guitar, banjo and vocals; and Didier François on nyckelharpa. Guest musicians include Stefan Timmermans on doedelzak (bagpipe) and Dajo De Cauter on double bass.
Reiseiland is a beautiful melancholic album by one of the finest folk music voices in the Low Countries.
Order the album from http://www.tsmiske.be/stek8/appelengels/hoebestellen.aspx
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
