Label: Maqueta Records
Review by Warren Mayocchi
Ida Elena has worked on several projects in recent years including the Vivaldi Metal Project (rock/metal), Cantus Lunaris (medieval folk group), and a Blackmore’s Night tribute band. With a wide repertoire she is capable of much and has now given us the “Native Spirit” EP. It is seventeen minutes of music incorporating several traditional instruments, lively songwriting, and a diverse vocal flair demonstrated by her working background. With capability for such a variety of music available the style of the album may not be obvious. It has a celtic rock sound, certainly with similarities to Blackmore’s Night, but also The Corrs when playing their folk oriented material. “Native Spirit” opens with the weakest song of the album. While “Rhunes in My Pocket” has a wonderful instrumental track and the verses work well, the aggressive change into the chorus and repetitive lyric detracted from the song. From that point everything on the album is spectacular. “‘Til My Last Breath” follows with a heady tale of a seductive dance with a vampire. There is a music video for the next song – “The Butterfly” – which gives a good indication of what to expect with this album. The song features a whistle, a jaunty tune, and a magical tale. My favourite track is “Native Spirit”, it has a chanting vocal style tending to gentle melody in the chorus. The vocal is paired with driving percussion, great backing in the chorus, and lovely instrumental elements. The last song is the only non-English track, the ballad “Folliapoesia” roughly translated as “insane poetry”. It is more of a rock/pop track which might seem out of place against the other tracks, especially when the saxophone appears, but it does work within a broader theme. Ultimately the songs on “Native Spirit” sound like the joyful expression of anything is possible. Like the dancer in “‘Til My Last Breath” the listener can be swept up in the mood with a wondrous innocence continually wanting more. I hope Ida Elena finds the success to keep writing and creating songs because I cannot help but join in with the joyful spirit of the music on “Native Spirit”.
Rating – 85/100
Tracklist
- ‘Til My Last Breath
- Folliapoesia
- Native Spirit
- Rhunes in My Pocket
- The Butterfly