Review from Djembe Magazine

By Karen Mohr Sokkelund

GUDRUN HOLCK:
‘Muse’
Mild Records MILDCD002 • www.mildrecords.com
**** 42 minutes

Cross-over. Denmark. It is not the first time Gudrun Holck raises her voice on record, but it's the first time she invests in herself to such a degree, body mind and soul, in a recording project. For four years Holck lived i Nigeria, staying with Fela Kuti and has since performed diligently. She trained with Toumani Diabaté and Habib Koité in Mali and was a founding member of the late Muzi DanZim Band.
On this her solo debut she truly demonstrates what she is capable of wringing out of her vocal cords – and her musical brain. She scores in particular on the wordless, vocal compositions like 'Song of Angels', The Composition of Now', and in musical fragments like 'Vignet Kula', 'Intro' and 'Outro Calling'. Not quite as listening friendly are the title songs 'Muse' and Marylin Mazur's otherwise quite beautiful song 'Cross the Stream' which Gudrun Holck unfortunately torments to death. Not considering these blemishes, Gudrun Holck has on 'Muse' created a vocal jungle of surprising, strangely liberating and enticing sounds – a jungle I wouldn't mind getting lost in again.