Album Notes

"...pearls from the bottom of the ocean..." is the debut album of Rusalki, a Santa Fe, NM-based Balkan and Middle Eastern female vocal ensemble.

Rusalki is comprised of 5 women, and they perform original arrangements of Balkan and Middle Eastern folk, pop, and classical songs, infused with their American musical influences, which include jazz, blues, and American folk. Their music is characterized by multi-part, often dissonant harmonies, ornamented vocalization, and percussion instruments native to the Balkans and Middle East (including doumbek, frame drum, riq, and zills) which are often played in odd time signatures.

"Like a twisted fairy tale or a bittersweet childhood memory, the music of Rusalki is simultaneously comforting and haunting... They are not from the Middle East, but their voices, carefully trained in the piercing, precise style of Balkan singers, imply otherwise. Traditional Balkan music is made up of dark minor keys and nasal singing that leaps effortlessly over difficult intervals. Rusalki seems to have perfected the nuances of Middle Eastern music, but hasn’t traveled into the past; the songs are clearly performed by women in the 21st century, whether because of the occasional snarl or the use of more modern-sounding guitars. Like a lullaby for a war-torn part of the world, the sweet voices of Rusalki comfort the listener—but not without uneasiness." -Santa Fe Reporter, 10/14/09