Rough Romanian Soul

Record producer, field recordist and author Ian Brennan is an interesting character, going off the beaten track to record music from parts of the world that are largely overlooked (even in world music terms). It was Brennan who discovered and recorded the Malawi Mouse Boys and since then he has found music of note in Italy, Vietnam, Rwanda and elsewhere. I’ve no idea how Brennan found himself in rural Transylvania, listening to Paula Turcas and her mates make music. He has recorded them live and, for the most part, this means Turcas's strident voice backed by Oli Bott's driving vibes. Bott employs the vibes in a manner akin to the cimbalom in much Romanian music – as a lead instrument, which then creates texture behind the singer. And Turcas sings with drama and panache.

The resulting album is sparse and offbeat. At 70 minutes, it outstays its welcome. But it's quite different to most music coming from the Balkans, and enjoyably so.