Lopez Blogs

arja Turunen ~ My Winter Storm: It was on a total whim that I purchased this album. I didn’t know anything about the singer or her style, but I did love the cover art and there was something about the winter theme that called to me. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut, because this is an epic work of art - more than a music album, it creates a world which Tarja inhabits and invites you to peak into. It’s sometimes soothing, somethings chaotic, like a snowglobe being shaken and left to settle. At the back of my mind while listening to it, I wondered if it sounded a little like evanescene, but as I am unfamiliar with their work, I brushed the thought aside. What My Winter Storm does is place an orchestral score at the core of the album with inventive use of instrumentation to create a sweeping palate of sounds that invoke crisp snowy mornings and ominous frosty nights. The juxtaposition of this, combined with some searing guitar work is the ethereal vocal styling of soprano Tarja who brings an element of opera to the proceedings. Her lyrical melodies float over the instrumentation, but are never overpowered by whatelse is going on. It’s an album that stirs the senses, whether it be in exploring the darkness of humanity in songs like Boy and The Ghost, or providing more uplifting content with tracks like Sing For Me or even providing dramatic interpretations of others songs (Alice Coopers Poison). It’s all incredibly multi-layered and probably an acquired taste, but for now I’m smitten and can’t wait to find out more…

LINK: Tarja’s my winter storm website