Since her solo debut in early 2010, Catalan singer Sílvia Pérez Cruz’s albums have alternated between original songs and covers. 2020 has been a prosperous year for her. Since her collaboration with pianist Marco Mezquida (which gave us a taste of her covers of South American standards, Radiohead, Paul Simon and Amália Rodriguez) she’s released a flawless collection of her own compositions and recent collaborations. The album title Farsa (género imposible), meaning Farce (impossible genre), questions how her playing reflects her inner character. She’s denouncing a time where appearances are glorified to hide a less glorious reality. Here, Sílvia Pérez Cruz - one of Spain’s most inspiring and beloved singers, and many other countries for that matter - gathers together recent songs created by mixing her music with other art mediums.
The delicate Mañana, with Mexican ranchera accents, is taken from Anastasi Rinos’ documentary Ana María Moix, Passió per la paraula. The spellbinding Intemperie - where her voice soars over an Iranian zarb drum’s deep beats - appeared in Benito Zambrano’s eponymous film and has already earned her a Goya award for best original song along with composer Javier Ruibal. She’s also taken the almost dodecaphonic song Plumita from Álvaro Brechner’s film Compañeros (La noche de 12 años). The vocal and flamenco guitar duet Grito Pelao is the title song of the haunting choreographic piece about revolutionary dancer Rocio Molina’s motherhood and Estimat is a skilful musical setting of an excerpt from Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano, directed and performed by Lluís Homar. Musically speaking, the album is classy and varied. It features tango (Tango De La Vía Láctea), oriental percussion (Pena Salada), jazzy piano (Estimat) and experimental music that would be up Björk’s street (Par Coeur and The Womb). Vocally speaking, Silvia Perez Cruz is at the top of her game. She channels a whole range of styles and atmospheres. And she embodies strength and fragility with remarkable ease and authenticity. © Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz