Does the world really need another singer from Sweden? After all, we already have such fine examples as Miss Li and Sofia Talvik to lead our ears down the path to sonic pleasure. What therefore of Antonia Vai and her album “Lovers And Prophets”?
She seems less of now than of then for a start and she brings a darker, almost mystical, approach to her songs with the hypnotic overlapping voices of “Snow White” making the most of the moonlight. There are also lighter moments such as the irresistibly catchy Lana Del Rey style “Macho Woman” that serves to divert your attention from thedeeper underlying lyrical motivations.
Antonia Vai seems most comfortable, however, in those minimalist moments where her voice dances a duel with a sometimes adversarial musical enemy for the all important space between the notes The most successful of these conflicts are the piano led “A Moth To A Flame” and the quietly dramatic “Time Killer” but they are far from being the only songs that you will remember from this album.
So, is there room for another Swedish singer in my musical affections? If her name is Antonia Vai then the answer is yes.