Irene - Long Gone Since Last Summer - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, in collaboration with several universities, researches repertoire linked to the history of Andalusia. This Proyecto Atalaya has already produced a series of albums with unknown jewels, which have also been released on PASSACAILLE. On this , entitled Astro Nuevo, the musicians, under the direction of Enrico Onofri, rediscover works by Pedro Rabassa (1683-1767), who worked for more than forty years as Kapellmeister at Seville Cathedral. Also thanks to the excellent soloists - Julia Doyle and Carlos Mena (countertenor) - his music becomes a real rediscovery of the musical Baroque in Spain.

Irene is the debut album from Izy (pronounced eye-zee), a Melbourne-based trio originally hailing from Cairns in Australia's tropical North. A deeply mature album from a very young band, Irene is a 10 song collection of raw neo-soul grooves, rich vocal harmony and subtle jazz guitar. A stripped back, simple recording of a band killing it in a room. There's a deep understanding of the canon of soul music on display here, with echoes of D'Angelo and Curtis Mayfield, but also a uniquely individual sensibility, rarely so clearly articulated on a debut record.

No band epitomized the sense of alienation and dislocation better than early 80's LA punk act X. Co frontperson Exene Cerv enka's distinctive lyricism still resonates on this her first solo album since 1991. 'Somewhere Gone' invokes other artists who travel easily between the worlds of words and music like Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith.