Sa Dingding
Alive
Wrasse/Universal

Sa Dingding hails from China and crafts and exotic-sounding (to western ears anyway) blend of traditional melodies and her own songs.

Opener "Mama Tien Na" glides over sinuous beats and shows off the singer's voice well. "Alive" heads off into somewhat more modern territory, Dingding's siren voice set against a lovely backdrop. "Oldster by Xilin River" is sung in a language of the singer's own making. It sounds like the Cocteau Twins.

"Lagu Lagu", also sung in that language, is more strident and sounds a bit like Dadawa, who is another Chinese crossover artist. Sa Dingding's debut is definitely worth a listen for those on the lookout for something special.

Copyright © 2008 Anna Maria Stjärnell