Sofia Talvik - Center of the Universe (2023)

Singer/songwriter with a wispy vocal style on “Circle of Destruction,” embellishes her tale with lovely musicianship, arrangement & melody despite the doomy title. There’s a tint of Joni Mitchell in her folky tone & delivery but also a loveliness to her voice that was once the early folk voice of Marianne Faithful (“Wild Mountain Tyme”) & Mary Hopkin (“Goodbye”). Sofia is easy on the ears and angelic at times.

With the 10 cut Center of the Universe the project was produced by Ms. Talvik who also wrote the songs. The work is smartly created & filled with one tantalizing melody after another. What this CD possesses is not just songs but well-developed ideas for songs. The lyrics are poignant, the music enchanting, with nothing but positive vibes that seep from every note.

The songs are then decorated with tidy accordion flourishes that elevate the melody into such rural beauty & inhabit Sofia’s honeyed vocals. This is the Swedish artist’s 9th & Sofia had cracked the Folk Radio Charts USA throughout the fall (2023) & even received a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album.

The CD has its serious subjects so it’s not all just entertainment. Sofia sings of missing children, she saw posted on her last tour. Artists like Sofia, serious artists — can find subjects for songs beyond the menu so many seem to pull from. Sometimes a song will reach more eyes than a poster on a wall alongside an ad for pimple cream. This is where in the inspiration for the song “Center of the Universe” originated. It has little to do with space travel.

”Desert Nights,” has some tidy finger-picking acoustic guitar & the vocals are reminiscent of the late Judee Sill (“Jesus Was a Crossmaker,” & “The Kiss”). That is to say, the voices are indulging in a narrative of beauty as well as lyric. With “Broken,” Sofia sings in a wonderfully whispery Alison Krauss tone & it’s equally, personally serene. Sofia breathes Americana with every lyric & the music follows her. The music knows she is one where it belongs.
There’s a short informative documentary about the making of Sofia’s album on YouTube that should be of interest.