Anneli Drecker
Rocks & Straws

What an extraordinary year from a musical standpoint this 2015 is, fat cows, dare I say obese; a few months are still left before we can draw a definitive conclusion, but even if nothing interesting were to come out from today until December 31, it wouldn't really change much. I mean, Marc Almond, Nena, Sarah Cracknell, Jimmy Somerville, Little Boots (Till Lindemann, Richard Benson... it's really fitting to say "there's everything, nothing's missing"), and finally the biggest surprise, the return of Anneli Drecker after exactly a decade of absence. It seems I've been really good this year, I can't say exactly how, but evidently, I've earned it one way or another. Some might remember my reviews on Bel Canto and her previous two solo albums, reviews where I repeatedly wished for her return, with or without the historic partner Nils Johansen; about a year later, my wish was granted, tell me if I'm not a lucky guy!

But enough boasting, here the star is Anneli: what has my Queen of Norway and Ladonia been doing during these years away from the music biz? Mostly being a mom, and I mention this not just as a curiosity but because this album was inspired and influenced also by this experience and life choice, which Anneli chose to prioritize over her career. Apparently, her solo albums might seem like episodic and occasional outings, but the story that connects them is common: "Tundra" is born as a reaction to the disappointing "Rush", the only blemish in an otherwise impeccable career; it is an album filled with fascinating twists and turns, eclectic, a little eccentric, colorful, where Anneli experiments with new sounds, not necessarily tied to the Bel Canto context. The experience with Nils Johansen indeed would soon come to an end, and in "Frolic" we find a woman as elegant and refined as ever, but also very sexy: that is an album from which every pop star with class aspirations should take an example, perhaps it could have been a new starting point too, but a year later Luna arrived, and so Anneli decided to let it go, making a admirable and quite unusual decision in these circles. And now "Rocks And Straws", fairy-tale-like and dreamy, born from the landscapes and atmospheres of her Norway; a bond never severed, not even in the world music triumph of "Magic Box", and which after this decade of sweet "exile," returns stronger and more dominant than ever.

"Rocks And Straws": music by Anneli Drecker, lyrics inspired by Arvid Hanssen, a poet active mainly in children's literature; the imagery evoked is fascinating in itself, and there's also one of the most beautiful voices I know, sweet and seductive like never before. Sublime singer and composer of great class, Anneli Drecker returns to the scene with an album that, to put it simply, could be classified as folk-pop, but it's a very limiting definition, often associated with truly dull stuff: there are evident soul, jazz, and gospel influences, especially in the singing, orchestral inserts, a moderate use of electronic elements when needed. "Rocks And Straws" is a refined and complete album, a worthy continuation of a long tradition of beautiful daydreams; the music of Bel Canto, and consequently hers as well, has a strong imaginative power that the passing years have not diminished in the slightest. With "Rocks And Straws" one lives the brief summer of the Great North, between the ocean and the forests; it lacks the changing and esoteric charm of the Masterpiece "Birds Of Passage", but the Leopard's law, applied to great artists, never fails: change so that (where it really counts) nothing changes.

The album has a central core, composed of two masterpieces worthy of the best Bel Canto, united by the same theme, the life of the fishermen of the Great North: "Fisherman's Blues" offers a beautiful orchestral intro and a good piano accompaniment, but what makes it great is Anneli's voice, delivering one of the best performances of her career: rising and falling in intensity, with the class of an impeccable chanteuse, her voice paints a delicate, slightly melancholic but also extremely vivid fresco. A singing style clearly influenced by soul and jazz to describe Nordic scenarios, a brilliant idea far removed from the trite stereotypes of Norwegian music, and with the subsequent "Ocean's Organ" the culmination is reached, adding gospel suggestions, a perfect choral emphasis to enhance the emotional strength of this spectacular crescendo. Demonstrating the eclecticism of this third solo endeavor by Anneli Drecker, we also have "Alone", opening with grace and delicacy, a soft electronic carpet and Celtic-flavored violins, another top-notch vocal performance, airy and dreamy; new age hints but also the playful and bucolic folk of "Rocks And Straws", a short but delightful title track, with an arpeggio reminiscent of "The Voyage Of The Moon" by Donovan; the mood is the same as that wonderful and semi-unknown album from 1971, "HMS Donovan", sweet and light nursery rhymes, picturesque naturalistic vignettes.

"Come Summer's Wind", "Green Leaves In The Snow", "Rain", "A Seagull's Melody", just the titles are enough to convey the atmosphere in "Rocks And Straws"; accompanying herself with piano or acoustic stringed instruments, Anneli brings to life dreamy and light melodies, sometimes sparkling and lively, other times more ethereal and contemplative. "Come Summer's Wind" impresses with the intensity and purity of the melody, "Circulating Light" with a very elegant and sparkling flow of notes that opens into a grand orchestrated finale, "Green Leaves In The Snow" with a lively and immediate feeling, a potentially radio-friendly pop-rock episode, adding a touch of further dynamism. One after the other, the songs flow smoothly, in an almost surreal idyll; it's as if Anneli has reclaimed the energy and eclecticism of "Tundra," channeling it into a more defined overall vision and a more intimate dimension. In this folk-pop-jazz mix, you can clearly perceive the influence of the early Joni Mitchell, especially in "Waiting For A Boat", a dynamic and restless closing, but the style is hers, the imagery evoked is something that unmistakably belongs to Anneli Drecker. In conclusion, two brief considerations: 1- Luna Drecker is a lucky child, and since on some occasions she has already joined her mom on stage, she might consider positioning herself as the heir to the throne in the future, and 2- Welcome back Anneli, yours was a perfect return, as a true Star you've made yourself wanted, and now your name shines with its own light. I couldn't have asked for better.