Female
GLM, 2024
8/10
A female centered project that involves a milestone birthday and a salon that featured 12 women from many different backgrounds, Stefanie Boltz makes for 15 diverse and exciting tracks.
The soothing sounds of deep breathing that begins “Evocation 1 - Spiritui sancto honor sit” gets the listen off to a therapeutic start before the layered voices enter, and “Help Me” follows with swirling keys and powerful vocals that benefit from graceful strings.
Further along, “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” welcomes playful accordion to the percussively warm climate, while “Bessie Smith” uses soulful brass and cozy keyboards amid Boltz’s soulful pipes.
Landing closer to the end, the well timed winds of “Wuthering Heights” help make this the album’s best, and “The First of a Million Tears” exits with an emotive, piano driven and cautious finish of touching and heartfelt songwriting.
A diverse and well thought out body of work that embraces the spirit of legends like Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Alma Mahler and Fanny Hensel, Female makes for an empowering and aware effort.
Travels well with: Nina Ernst- Dunkles Licht; Quadro Nuevo- Happy Deluxe