Review
The highlights of the album are the Natalia Bernal original songs where she truly puts her soul in every word.
La Voz de Tres, an album by the New York based trio Bernal, Eckroth, Ennis is for sure a celebration of Latin American music. The beautiful and soulful voice of chilean vocalist Natalia Bernal echoes the rich tradition of female Latin American folk singers like Mercedes Sosa and more recently Marta Gomez. The similarities are more obvious in songs like the Andean traditional “Ojos Azules”.
Almost half of the songs on this album are from Brasil. Powell’s and De Moraes’ “Berimbau”, Jobim’s “Fotografia”, “Meditation” and “Inutil Paisagem” and Powell’s “Samba Triste”. Even with the absence of percussive instruments (just vocals, piano and guitar on this trio), Mike Eckroth on piano and Jason Ennis on guitar take turns providing an excellent rhythmic foundation for these brazilian classics. Bernal sings in perfect portuguese in all these tracks except in the english version on “Meditation”.
The jazzier track of the album is the swinging Gross and Lawrence “Tenderly”. But the highlights of the album are the Natalia Bernal original songs where she truly puts her soul in every word. “Estrella de Mar”, a song with elements of tango, “El borde de mi tierra”, probably dedicated to her country Chile, the waltz “Cuentame tu pena” and the poetic lyrics of “Sofia”.
Track Listing: 1. Ojos azules, 2. Berimbau, 3. Estrella de mar, 4. Tenderly, 5. El borde de mi tierra, 6. Fotografia, 7. Inolvidable, 8. Cuentame tu pena, 9. Meditation, 10. Inutil Paisagem, 11. Samba Triste, 12. Sofia
Personnel: Natalia Bernal – vocals, Mike Eckroth – piano, rhodes, Jason Ennis – guitar
Bernal, Eckroth, Ennis – Official website: www.bernaleckrothennis
Label: Self published
Release date: June 2010
