Dakota Suite & Quentin Sirjacq
Wintersong
Schole

Wintersong is a new collaboration between UK's Dakota Suite (a.k.a. Chris Hooson, sometimes with additional players) and Frenchman Quentin Sirjacq. This new album sees Dakota Suite songs rearranged and accompanied by Sirjacq, meaning all dressed up or stripped down with neat and subtle piano.

This very same duo made There Is Calm To Be Done. We've heard the result of the pairing of artists Dakota Suite & Emanuele Errante and their fine The North Green Down. More recently, we were introduced to Quentin Sirjacq's latest album, Far Islands And Near Places which is a collection of stripped and low-pulse compositions.. And, now, here's Wintersong, '11 winter songs dedicated to the loved ones'. The see-through songs by Chris Hooson (a.k.a. Dakota Suite), sung by Hooson and accompanied by Quentin Sirjacq's magical, fragile piano. These songs hold emotions, discreet intensity, and contemplative melodic moments. They are meditative songs for mind and body, for seeking near 100% relaxation.

According to the label Schole Wintersong was recorded during Dakota Suite and Quentin Sirjacq's Japan tour in 201. 'Their tour started in early March, when a dusting of snows can be observed occasionally, and the spring weather is about to come.' I guess some Japanese tranquillity affected the recording of the album. Schole tags this as 'inner-soul' music. This is proof of the phrase silence i golden (even though it's far from being total silence). The songs are picked from Dakota Suite's rich back catalogue. The title track goes back to the 1998 (debut) album Songs For A Barbed Wire Fence. Sirjacq and Hooson have stripped and reworked the songs, 'dressed them' up again in different tones, colour wise and temperature wise. For the bleak winter season. As I am writing this, it is exactly 11 days left until Xmas, which means one song each day for the countdown. Highly recommended for killing all stress, removing all the breathless stupidity that is manifested around our shores this time of year. Unwind with Wintersong.

Copyright © 2016 H. Oppøyen