January 28, 2025
Sécheresse - Sophia Djebel Rose
Label: WV Sorcerer Productions/Oracle Records/Ramble Records
Catalog #: WV113/OR003/RAM-187
Location: France
Release Date: February 17, 2025
Media: vinyl, cd or digital download
bandcamp.com entry of artist
bandcamp.com entry of label
discogs.com entry
Sécheresse (Drought) is a collection of nine songs performed by Sophia Djebel Rose, who provides voice and all instrumentation on this solo album. The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are both fans of nonidiomatic improvisation as well criminally unreliable reviewers. While these two statements are true, this review nevertheless came to pass. The files arrived and sat on the harddrive for five weeks in the form of a sequence of nanoscale magnetic domains. Periodically, we called them forth and set them loose to generate acoustic signals that flew about the room until they settled in our ears. Such events happen every day here at the Poison Pie Publishing House but rarely result in a review. When it does happen, it's usually a result of an ambivalent compulsion. We feel compelled to say something about the music because we were drawn by some element to return to it repeatedly over this time. Do we not have an obligation to share with whatever limited reach we possess the appeal of this music? Who hides a lamp under a basket? At the same time, our ambivalence stems from the acceptance that we have nothing to say; the music stands on its own and is neither magnified nor diminished by any commentary on our part. O happy day! We try our best to do no harm. This album has composed melodies and bits that almost resemble catchy hooks, which lodge in our memory. The singing of Sophia Djebel Rose shifts between soulful undulation and adamant declaration. It has the esthetic appeal of the solo vision of the artist achieved without dilution. This album successfully portrays the unique sound of the artist. As an aside, the music is subject to a level of production much greater than that to which our ears are typically accustomed.
Eight of the nine tracks are written by Sophia Djebel Rose. One of them, described as the "first single" to the album, is a traditional song, Blanche Biche (White Doe), dating from medieval times. There is an official video on YouTube, which includes English translations of the lyrics. We have a fondness for creative, modern reinterpretations of old songs, which blend contemporary artistic sensibilities with themes from an earlier age. Another (otherwise unrelated) favorite from this genre is Ein Stuhl in der Hölle, a take on the Lord Randall ballad, by Einstürzende Neubauten.
The lyrics for all the songs are in French. The staff of the PPPH find a pleasure in listening to the human voice, especially when the vocalist is not using words or is singing in a language unknown to them. This album is a really wonderful example of such a pleasure. The lyrics on all the songs are sung with an expressiveness that conveys a meaning irrespective of the words. One of our favorites songs is L'Homme au Costume Doré, on which we understand nothing beyond the title, The Man in the Golden Suit. There are many other albums where our joy with the music transcends the language barrier. Two examples that spring to mind are the Urdu on Love in Exile by Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer and Shahzad Ismaily and the Japanese on any album with lyrics by Keiji Haino.
Sécheresse served as our introduction to the music of Sophia Djebel Rose. The album extended an invitation to get to know her music, which proved very easy to accept. We suppose that many like-minded listeners will respond with similar enthusiasm.
personnel:
- Sophia Djebel Rose (lyrics, guitars, vocals, back vocals, harmonium, modular synth & other sounds) (social media)