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One does not struggle to find the soul of Jolanda Moletta. It may be encountered in the yearning poetry of Oceanine (51:23). The mortal voice at the center of this third album is the same, but the air through which it travels is different. Moletta (with 11 collaborators) prepares, layers and builds vocal tones into large and small choirs of reverberant harmony. Yet as the climactic moments recede, we find her testing the waters - fragile and alone. By way of mind, melody and magic Oceanine brings the miracle of the world into sonic relief. Immersing the most ethereal moments in emotional revelation, the eleven pieces each offer their own fleeting moment of connection. Though waves drift us closer to one another, there is a voice which keeps pulling us further out to sea. Moving through abandoned textures, radiant atmospheres and melancholy moods leaves the listener transported to the siren's realm - where you notice shadows in the sounds, and determination in the songs. Feeling as if we have awoken in someone else's dream, the music moves from apocalyptic chill, as hollow and empty as the space between the stars, then back to the warmth of home - all zones providing ample appeal to the cerebral state. While this wonderful work may be enjoyed as a simple pursuit of beauty, more meaning may be found in the way it journeys with us over restless currents and rising tides - and tries to whisper its secrets to those still on the shoreline.
- Chuck van Zyl/STAR'S END 14 May 2026 |
