Dalinda

The a capella group Dalinda is made up of three Hungarian singers – Johanna Orbán, Julianna Paár and Sára Timár. The trio studied and met in the folk singing department of the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Budapest. This is their first recording.

The 11 songs here are all traditional, derived from different areas of the Carpathian basin. But what makes them stand out are their vocal arrangements and harmonisations.

Traditional Hungarian song is monophonic – one vocal line. But here some very effective harmonies are added that, for the most part, suit the album's character, which relates to different aspects of a woman's life. Particularly striking is the first track ‘Nyílik’ (It's Opening) and the canonic singing in ‘Legényvásár’ (Young Men's Market). I'm less keen on the doo-wop harmony of ‘Menyecske’ (Bride). It's not as strong as the brilliant but one-off 2007 album Szájról Szájra (From Mouth to Mouth) by Szilvia Bognar, Agnes Hercku & Ági Szalóki, but it's fresh and different. The counterpoint of the closing ‘Te Vagy A Kutya’ (You Are the Dog) is memorably haunting.