Acoustic Nordic folk-fusion with improvisation. This is a very subdued and natural sounding album. Pekka Lehti is creating an intimate and unpretentious ambience.
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Dedicated to the memory of his father, 'Outo voima' 
( 'Strange Force') is Pekka Lehti's poignant cry for peace and quiet amidst a hectic urban existence.The 35-year-old Lehti, who is recognized globally as the bassist for modernist ethno team Värttinä, has made a subdued and almost all-acoustic his solo debut.'Outo Voima' is comprised of duets with some of inspiring musicians Lehti has crossed paths with.
 This austere collection shies away from all kinds of percussion and finds its highlights in the traditional Lapp "yoik" chants of Wimme Saari, vocalizations of Sanna Kurki-Suonio and guitar stylings of supreme six-stringer Jarmo Saari. The latter contributes some dazzling Frisellian soundscapes to 'Sarastus/Dawn' then goes all earthy on 'Päivölä/Land of the Sun'. Worthy of separate mention is ' Vainajalan Tango/Tango of the Vainajala', where Timo Alakotila's harmonium delivers some of the fumes of Hades hinted at in the title of the track. Lehti's apprenticeship under the tutelage of Swedish bass guru Anders Jormin shines through on 'Outo Voima' more so than on his work in the ranks of Värttinä, ZetaBoo or the JP's.

Petri Silas
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Although best known as the bassist for Värttinä, Pekka Lehti has been a part of the Finnish folk and jazz scenes for over a decade. On Outo Voima, his first solo album, Lehti performs a series of duets with several of his friends and bandmates. As Pekka says in the album's liner notes, "This is a gentle and reflective duo CD. The music was recorded in places where you can't be busy." These places include Pekka's living room, Wimme Saari's cottage, and a studio located on an island just off Finland's southern coast, near Helsinki. The album opens with "Ensimmäinen Päivä" [first day], a non-lyrical song featuring the voice of Sanna Kurki-Suonio. The next piece, "Vainajalen Tango," features the harmonium of JPP's Timo Alokatila. Jarmo Saari, who plays with Pekka in the band Zetaboo, plays on two tracks, as does Wimme. JPP's Arto Järvelä plays fiddle on "Vahva" [strong] and former Värttinä accordionist Riita Kossi plays accordion on the album's closing track, "Eskolle" [to Esko]. This music is a lot more pensive and quiet than any of Pekka's work in Värttinä (or Zetaboo, for that matter), but all the same it works very well. The upright bass is a difficult instrument to arrange as single accompaniment for one lead instrument, much less a vocalist, but as any Värttinä fan will attest, Pekka Lehti is no ordinary bassist. He gives Sanna's vocals just the right amount of energetic support, and I've never heard Wimme sound better than he does on his two tracks on this album. In addition, Pekka demonstrates a mastery of many different playing techniques on Outo Voima. At the beginning of "Vahva," for example, he adds a percussive thump to his bass while Arto plays a polska. "Päivölä" [land of the sun] features a standard jazz bass line supporting Jaarmo Saari's guitar. On "Veijo," my favorite track on the album, Pekka deftly uses feedback and harmonics to provide the right ambience for Wimme's joiking. All in all, Outo Voima is a consistently good album. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a mellow balance to the more energetic Nordic folk albums in their collection.          


Scott Ginanelli
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