Independent Release
Review by Warren Mayocchi
With a four-piece string ensemble (two violins, a viola, and cello), a live recording session, and Marcela Bovio on vocals we are treated to a listening experience unlike any we have previously heard from Marcela‘s other projects. The setup places the spotlight on Marcela‘s voice and she does have the power and emotional range to excel in her role on the aptly named “Unprecedented”. In general the music is of an operatic/classical style, though the scratching percussive strings on “Dime” do evoke the approach of Apocalytica. There is drama in all of the songs, the use of the string quartet certainly contributes to the moods throughout, but it does mean Marcela has to be in top form. Anything amiss will stand out in this format, however all that is notable is how great this mix sounds. “Hey Amores” and “Stars” are the most operatic of the tracks and they are delivered with all the power you would expect. Alongside such commanding performances the rest of the album is in no way diminished – the contrast only helps the when a subtler approach is taken on songs like “The Treasure Hunter”. There is a music video for “Found!” and a lyric video for “Saboteurs”. Listen to them for they provide a good sample of “Unprecedented”. For many years before this solo album Marcela Bovio was the lead vocalist of a progressive metal band – Stream of Passion. With the conclusion of the band in 2016 Marcela Bovio has taken a different approach for her next step with “Unprecedented”. And it sounds fresh, it is a real showcase for her fantastic voice. From here it will be exciting to see what happens next, but until that time another version of “Unprecedented” will be released from a different recording session with piano accompaniment. Given the excellent songs on the string version I am intrigued to hear the different versions and looking around there is a lyric video for “Pure Imagination” from the piano backed album. Listening to it, keeping the performances with the string quartet in mind, my only advice is to get both – “Unprecedented” is just that exceptional.
Rating – 95/100
Tracklist
- Hay Amores
- The Treasure Hunter
- Found!
- Dime
- The Cartographers
- Powerless
- Alicia
- Saboteurs
- Stars
- The One