Kristina, Sonja: Anthology

Although best known for her long association with Curved Air, Sonja Kristina has also recorded an interesting body of work beyond those walls. Releasing a self titled solo album in 1980, the singer and musician would follow up some eleven years later with Songs From The Acid Folk, before bringing us Harmonics Of Love with Cloud 10 in 1995. Further excursions would begin with Marvin Ayers as the calendar clicked into a new millennium, but it is those first three 'solo' outings that form the basis of this Anthology collection. With Sonja herself providing the liner notes they make for an interesting companion as you journey through her music. Placing the songs in chronological order may well have aided that process but the manner in which the lady's solo albums are scattered through this two disc set illustrates both how diverse � and cohesive � Sonja's work has been.

Two new tracks bookend the running order of disc one, a reimagining of "Frank Mills" from the Hair soundtrack finds the singer going back to a piece she performed as part of the controversial show's cast back in 1968. Whereas "C'est La Vie" is a cover of the Greg Lake song that Sonja first performed in his tribute on recent Cruise To The Edge shows; this version a new studio take that works quite beautifully. In between, the full gamut of styles this lady has employed come to the fore, folk, punk, pop, rock and psych all recounted as "If This Was Love", "This Is Not Sanctuary" and "Man He Colour" play out.

During the 80s Sonja concentrated her time as a mother, performing infrequently as her husband Stewart Copeland's career with The Police and beyond went stratospheric, and she recorded even more sporadically. Yet we are treated to the less obvious interpretations of Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" (you may well know it as the music on the Old Spice adverts) with Darryl Way, which is a surprisingly triumphant experience, while Lemmy's "I Don't Believe A Word" is given a sympathetic acoustic airing. Elsewhere "Anna", "Devil May Care" and "Street Run" continue the eclectic cohesion as we go back to plunder the main albums Sonja has crafted over the years.

With only two tracks included that Kristina collectors won't already possess, it would maybe be fair to suggest that Anthology is more likely aimed at those who want to begin the journey of discovering this talented lady's catalogue outside of her main band. On those terms this eclectic and decades spanning collection does its job extremely well, highlighting the many styles Sonja Kristina has employed over the years and the personal journeys that have motivated her and her music.

Track Listing
DISC ONE
1. FRANK MILLS
2. IF THIS WAS LOVE
3. THE PASSION
4. BABY SONG
5. FULL TIME WOMAN
6. MAN HE COLOUR
7. ONE TO ONE
8. MELINDA (MORE OR LESS)
9. THIS IS NOT A SANCTUARY
10. ANGEL
11. C'EST LA VIE

DISC TWO
1. DEVIL MAY CARE
2. ANNA
3. BUCCANEER
4. ROLLERCOASTER
5. SAN TROPEZ
6. I DON'T BELIEVE A WORD
7. STREET RUN
8. O FORTUNA
9. LOVE CHILD
10. CITADEL

Added: May 18th 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Anthology at Cherry Red
Hits: 1276
Language: english

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