I would hesitate to describe Alexandrina’s album “Flori De Spin” as world music even though it has that kind of feel as if the very purpose of such music was to induce something akin to weightlessness. Appearances are, however, deceptive as there is more going on here than you would expect.
Even armed with only the most rudimentary knowledge of Romanian – Alexandrina Hristov is based in Bucharest – it is clear that matters of the heart are under lyrical scrutiny here even if her viewpoint, much like her musical style, is based on what might be called classical romanticism. The benefits of a musical education are, however, also in evidence here with complexity clearly holding no fears for her and, perhaps in consequence, she often draws from classical music to reinforce the conceptual timelessness infused throughout these songs. “Noaptea” is a fine example of this.
Her voice is always understated but never cold as there is a passion, or at least a sense of repressed torment, that draws the listener inexorably towards her flame and that very flame burns brightest when illuminating the entrancing “Te Simt”.
Whilst many might initially regard Alexandrina as a European reincarnation of Enya, it soon becomes obvious that Alexandrina is a child of the night and, consequently, she draws more from the candles and flickering shadows of cabaret than she does from the all the stars in the sky.
Available from Bandcamp