Kari Rueslåtten - Sørgekåpe (2020)

It is crazy to realize that we have been enchanted by Kari’s voice since the 3rd And the Mortal’s debut EP “Sorrow”, all the way back to 1993. While those days are long gone, it has been quite a journey to hear Kari jump to a solo-artist career and shake things up with a wide range of styles. “Sørgekåpe” marks her first all-Norwegian release since her solo debut in 1997. We all know that her music currently is far from Metal, but it is still a very lively Folk/Alternative Rock powered by her mesmerizing voice.

The album starts with the title track and sets a nice Folky mood with lush acoustic guitars and a somber pace. Shifting the mood, “Svever” nicely delivers a very catchy and lively Alternative Rock tune with excellent vocal melodies and overall playful music. We particularly enjoy more the mellow tracks like “Månen lyser ned”, which have a very powerful mixture of Kari’s vocals and a deep bass guitar line. This is probably because they bring us memories from her earlier work, but nonetheless, they resonate better with us.

Changing the pace of things, the songs in this release are nicely arranged to deliver a wide range of emotions, shifting from very lively “Alt brenner nå”, to more minimalist ones like “Når mørket faller”, and our favorite “Savn” and its dreamy Post-Rock-ish elements. The album closes strongly with the mystical “Storefjell” and its very mysterious and hypnotic Dead Can Dance aura.

Overall, “Sørgekåpe” is a good return to ‘roots’ release for Kari as it features a sound similar to her debut solo-release, while still maintaining some of the playfulness and diversity of her musical journey. While not recommended for everybody, if you are a fan of Kari, this release will certainly fit right into your collection. If you are looking for something Folky for light listening and have no idea who Kari Rueslåtten is, this is a good starting point.

Label: Spindelsinn Recordings

Release: May 8th, 2020

Genre: Folk/Alternative Rock

Country: Norway