Romanian Tales

Diana Rasina is a Romanian singer, based in Vienna. Romanian Tales is a strong album and certainly marks her as a name to look out for. She begins by exploring the songbooks of such famous Romanian folk singers of the early 20th century as Maria Lătăreţu, Romica Puceanu and Maria Tănase. With most contemporary Romanian music relying on electronic pop in its arrangements, it is a pleasure to hear Rasina backed only by cimbalom, kaval (shepherd's flute) and double bass. Her three accompanying musicians gracefully explore the melodies while allowing plenty of space for Rasina's throaty voice to dance above. She is a young singer and, so far, does not possess the depth of Tănase or the exuberant joy of Puceanu. Instead, she feels her way into these songs, exploring tunes from different regions in Romania, celebrating each song for its beauty and attempting to convey the emotional weight. Beyond a few jazzy bass lines, the material is handled in a traditional way and while Rasina is not as striking a singer as, say, Bosnia's Amira, she is very pleasant to listen to.