Katriina Honkanen Halla CD - Review by Ulla Suokko (1-917-847-2537, ulla@ullasuokko.com)

Listening to Finnish actress-singer-songwriter Katriina Honkanen’s new CD Halla (Frost) is like hanging out with a best friend. True to her craft as an actress Katriina’s dark, warm voice speaks more than sings, and her words lead the expression. While there is a certain lyrical loneliness, sorrow and nostalgia present throughout the album, there is also perseverance and hope. With her authentic and intimate style Katriina is a teller of tales who beckons us to follow her, not only into the heartbreak of each melancholy song, but through it to the other side.

The CD opens with Kiersin ja kaarsin (I Went Around and Around) with a grooving five-beat rhythm alternating with a waltzy six-beat time. The violin and accordion carry the sophisticated barn dance through its poetic scenery, telling a story of disillusioned love. But the listener is left to interpret the ending of the story.  The second track Kesä (Summer) witnesses a perfect childhood summer day, or a nostalgic memory of it. The following track Minkäs sitä luonnolleen tekee (How Can One Help One’s Nature) isa hoedown about disappointment in love, where the fiddler, guitarist and the rest of the band get to jam and have fun. With its hypnotic beat and vulnerable, but powerful lyrics Vedetkin jäätyy (Even the Waters are Freezing) is an evocative ballad about living one’s own truth, having the courage to love, and choosing hope in the face of darkness and sorrow. In my imagination, this song - where Katriina’s talent at it’s most poetic poignancy is combined with the simple accompaniment - awakens a portal to a timeless ancestral Kalevalaic or Avalonian wise-woman strength.

Neidon kammio (The Maiden’s Chamber), with its simple narrative, leans toward light like a plant reaching for the window. It is followed by the title song Halla (Frost), which is a very short, sad song with a beautifully phrased accordion solo in the beginning. This song is strangely soothing in it’s honest sadness and disarming lyrical harshness. The haunting arrangement of Jonakin päivänä (Some Day) introduces more modern and urban sounds, combined with the soaring violin and the beautifully played wailing electric guitar.

The Latin-influenced rhythmic arrangement in the beginning of Judith makes the moving story about a forgotten and lonely girl alluring and captivating. Supporting the storyteller, the mandolin carries the rhythm and color of the old-sounding sweet and sad tale Kaunotar (Beauty). Yet again the mood changes when this tale is followed by the quiet, fragile and seemingly hopeless Kun lapsuus loppui (When Childhood Ended). I especially enjoyed the percussion work in this arrangement. The mystical-sounding Musta virta (Black Stream) tempts with a deep passionate darkness in its galloping, swirling five-beat rhythm.

Congratulations to the whole team! A first class recording. The musicians play with virtuosity and soulful imagination, while the arrangements are simple, yet sophisticated, and fresh. Kudos also to the recording engineer. Beautiful sound! I especially like the mixing between the instruments and the voice. However, the cover art could have taken advantage of Katriina’s charismatic beauty to better match the soul and the sound inside. Also, and probably already noted: the text is very hard to read against the brownish background. 

Coming back to what I said in the beginning about listening to this CD being like hanging with a friend. Katriina brings you on a journey, where you can find yourself or your loved ones in the stories. With her genuine voice and wise-woman ways Katriina’s CD turns out to be more profound than one might expect at first listening. Like a good book, it can grow on you.

And yes! Finally! Yhtä jalkaa kotiin (Walking Home Together) The album does close with an unambiguously tender, caring and loving song! No more sadness, or nostalgia, or longing, or disappointment - only gratitude for being present – in the here and now.  Knowing that only love is what matters in the end.