PRESS-LOREDANA
BABEL LABEL-2019
EARMILK -"It's encouraging to see an artist excel at their genre while successfully dappling in others, and Martensson does just that with this latest single". READ HERE
RAWRAMP-"When we listened to “Arm Ourselves”, we found a gentle, acoustic-guitar accompanied by a descending wreathe of garland shaped vocals that seemed to be trapped in swirls, like confetti, in an uncertain wind. This was full of creamy petalettes of sound, with crunchy notes, sometimes wafery, and all touching in depth". READ HERE
COMEHEREFLOYED-"An interesting markup of professionalism and ecstasy, as the band delights in understated tones, looking out at the world, and then beyond. Quite a treat, in itself.
Quite a treat, in itself.
JAZZWISE FEATURE NOVEMBER 2019
"Loredana' is a collection of heart-stopping songs filled with music of enormous delicacy, subtlety and imagination". ****JAZZWISE
With a voice of remarkable expressive depth, Emilia Mårtensson makes music in which Swedish folk songs and jazz sensibilities are subtly drawn together into a profoundly satisfying whole. She talks to Peter Quinn about making connections, creating a narrative and finding beauty in tragedy.
When I meet her in a Soho hotel, Emilia Mårtensson needs to take a pause for breath. She’d flown in that day on a ridiculously early morning flight from a gig at Arthur’s Jazz and Blues Bar in Dublin, and was about to head off to New York later the same week – her first visit – with her Elda Trio project to perform as part of Made in the UK at Rochester Jazz Festival.
Named after and dedicated to her mother, for her new album, Loredana, Mårtensson has taken a novel approach in terms of engaging her audience to become part of the creative process. “It was about wanting to do something that everyone can relate to,” Mårtensson says. “And I find that relationship really fascinating – that you come from someone’s body and you have to have a relationship with that person.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE
GIGSOUP-Enriched with Emilia’s exquisite vocal talent, the track ripples with gentle guitar patterns and soothing brass melodies – the isolated rhythm feeling deeply personal and intimate. READ HERE
GOD IS IN THE TV-There are strong elements of folk music in here as well, and some Caribbean rhythms to boot. And the opening bars are reminiscent of something regular readers of this column may have encountered previously, namely the Swedish tradition of kulning, a variety of singing by which farm animal are called back from their pasture. READ HERE
ATWOOD MAGAZINE- Second hand pain is different from the direct thing; we process them differently, and experience them in vastly divergent ways. When someone else we love is struggling or going through a difficult time, it is our acknowledgement of their burden and our supportive presence – however that manifests itself – that allows us to connect with them and their emotions on a deeper, meaningful level. READ HERE
SONICSOUL-(Germany) Aus weiter Ferne kommt die Möglichkeit in Betracht, dass zudem ein Hauch von Kate Bush den Raum erfüllt…READ HERE
DELO-Emilia Martensson - Swedish jazz singer with Slovenian roots performs with RTV Big band in Ljubljana, Slovenia. READ HERE
AMERICANA UK- Emilia Martensson has the crystal clear voice of an angel, but on this folk song, with Pentangle-ish jazz flecks, the Swedish born, London dwelling, vocalist sings of the light and shade of the parent-child relationship. READ HERE
INDIE MUSIC DISCOVERY-(INTERVIEW) From the swathes of dreamy strings and pockets of brass instrumentation on opening number ‘Arm Ourselves (Against Ourselves)‘ to the delicate electronics of ‘Weariest River‘, each track is enriched with Emilia’s exquisite vocal talent and thoughtful lyricism.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Emilia about her latest project, challenges, technology and more. READ FULL INTERVIEW HERE
THE JAZZ MAN- “Loredana” places a greater emphasis on original material and represents an intensely personal work. “Ana” was dedicated to Martensson’s Slovenian born grandmother, but “Loredana” was inspired by Martensson’s own mother, Loredana or ‘Lulu’. READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
YSTAD ALLEHANDA (Sweden)- Sedan millenieskiftet är sångerskan Emilia Mårtensson bosatt i London. Där har sångerskan med rötter på Österlen gjort sej ett namn på Jazz scenen... READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
SYDSVENSKAN-Stämmnigsfullt och personligt.
POPMANI-Emilia Mårtensson är en svensk sångerska och kompositör bosatt i London. Efter tre hyllade album har hon byggt upp ett välrenommerat rykte som en av de mest spännande rösterna på den brittiska jazzscenen och idag står vi på Popmani för premiären av hennes nya singel Weariest River. READ HERE
VAKENTIMMAR-"Det är okej att ta risker och misslyckas".
Vilka skivor låg du och lyssnade på hemma under skolåren?
- I mina tonår så var det bara Jazz. Min första jazzskiva var Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley. Mina favoriter var Ella Fitzgerald, Blossom Dearie, Anita O'day, Sarah Vaughan och Bille Holiday.
LIRA-..."Hon har en genomträngande men ändå följsam stämma som kan bli vass när hon tar i, melodierna kan dra iväg och byta spår och särskilt de långsamma äger en finlemmad samhörighet mellan röst komposition och instrument"... READ HERE
UNGMUSIK.SE-'OFTA VACKERT'
THE ARTS DESK-ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2019.
Emilia Mårtensson’s Loredana featured music of enormous delicacy, subtlety and imagination, not to mention a predilection for the melancholic,
JAZZ JOURNAL- "...always intriguing, often beautiful and thought-provoking".
"Throughout, Mårtensson’s vocals are superb: light, expressive, they project the at-times opaque lyrics with sincerity"...READ HERE
MARLBANK-Enjoy the melodies, think about the words, listen to the very soft and subtle instrumental accompaniment. ‘Shine a light on’ asks important questions and shows its humanity. Indeed this album is very humane and poetic, and succeeds completely for these reasons and many others. READ HERE
LONDON JAZZ NEWS-Loredana’s breathy vocal smooths the unsettling Lionel Loueke-ish guitar patterns; she muses on her mother’s influence: “We were kept like fallow gardens all this time, waiting for the wind to come.” There’s a sublime moment in a whirlwind rush as the instruments slide up into the drama of Adriano Adewale’s percussion. Sigurta’s keening trumpet falls into free jazz, as the hurricane builds again. (Special mention for the album’s producer Chris Hyson.) Mårtensson’s One More for Ana reflects her love of 70s singer songwriters. It’s a touching memory of her grandmother focused on domestic detail, with silvery steel-strung guitar.
SLOVENSKE NOVICE- One of the most penetrating young vocalists and composers on the London jazz is of Swedish-Slovenian descent. It is, in short, one of those with whose successes Slovenes around the world like to brag about. READ HERE