A Moss'!

La Mòssa – ‘The Movement’ – refers to the café-chantant scene of Naples in the 1920s and describes the alluring wiggle of the hips that ends on a final swing with which singers would often close a song. The strength of the debut album from this vibrant female quintet derives from the entrancing polyphonies provided by Lillia Ruocco, Emmanuelle Ader, Sara Giommetti, Gabrielle Gonin and Aude Marchand. They are a versatile bunch of French-based women, who explore the gamut of vocal timbres, covering traditional and composed repertoires charged with history (or should we say her-story). They also rework pieces originally sung by men, offering a female perspective and new interpretations.

Their finely balanced singing is either unaccompanied or performed with percussion or hand clapping, as in the opening forró ‘Dona Mariquinha’, which soon draws you in. The quintet work brilliantly on Värttinä's ‘Käppee’, on two traditional numbers from Bulgaria and Albania and, above all, on the exquisite ‘Sur La Colline’, a traditional tune from Limousin. The disc also features Danyèl Waro's ‘Laviyon’ and the Argentinian zamba ‘Balderrama’. And with a name like theirs, they cannot but play a final driving tarantella. A heart-rending and delightful album.