Awake
Berthold, 2023
9/10
The Bosnian-Slovenian vocalist Mirna Bogdanović returns with a sophomore album, where a rich and textured 11 songs that lyrically surrounds a deep bag of emotions stemming from a break up make a sizable impression.
“I Love” leads the listen with Mirna Bogdanović’s stunning and soaring voice alongside Povel Widestrand’s poetic piano in the very expressive opener, and “Only Child” follows with stunning vocal acrobatics amid Philip Dornbusch’s agile drums and Povel Widestrand’s glowing synth stabs.
“Moving On” and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” land in the middle, where the former possesses a stirring intimacy via the eloquent singing and dreamy keys, while the latter carries a distinct mood of emotive song craft that benefits much from Felix Henkelhausen’s meticulous bass playing.
Nearing the end, the energetic and frisky “Dancing In The Dark” recruits Peter Meyer's firm guitar playing that can steer it into more rock focused areas, and “Finding Closure” exits the listen with a stylish buzzing and busy climate of bright and dynamic jazz-pop that injects Asger Uttrup Nissen’s charming sax
A highly creative and intricate listen that touches on contemporary jazz and art-pop, Bogdanović’s vision is complex but universally relatable, powerful yet delicate, and colorful in very mature ways.
Travels well with: Luumu- Elephant Love Song; Tigeroak- Living And Living