Stunning, emotive, beautiful…these are just a few words that can be used to describe my thoughts on Irij’s Cultura Cura album, but even those don’t do this incredible piece justice. It’s just a spine-tinglingly good release from start right to finish.
Having really enjoyed previous releases Same Zgode… and High Above Sorrow, I went in with high expectations for Cultura Cura yet somehow these expectations were exceeded! It’s nice to hear a natural progression and improvement with each release, and with Cultura Cura there’s something very moving about the performance throughout and no matter which way you look at it, this is an album you won’t be forgetting in a hurry.
There’s a bit more of an electric feel to this album but it still features all the elements that worked well on past releases – the passionate and colourful delivery of the vocals and fiddle from Meri is a joy to listen to as always. Additionally, a really good element of this album is the use of banjo (performed by Moonsorrow’s Henri Sorvali), which adds a new spin to the music and although in every appearance it plays as a fairly simplistic line, it adds a lot to the songs it features in.
It’s difficult to choose just one highlight of the album as it’s all just so good with no weaker links, but perhaps the jewel in the crown is tenth track Mothers Sisters Daughters & Wifes. It features a seriously catchy vocal line that will rattling round your head for a long while after first listening, and it’s one of those tracks you can’t just listen to once!
In short – Cultura Cura is amazing. This is a special release that you definitely won’t want to miss – something as good as this doesn’t often come around.
10/10
