Seleniko
Varttina is a nine-member Finnish ensemble featuring four female singers and a five-member folk string band. The emphasis is clearly on the dazzling vocals of the four women, who sing in perfect parallels even as they bounce through the brisk tempos and syncopated rhythms. All 14 selections on this album are either traditional Finnish folk songs or reworkings of original materials. There are obvious parallels with Celtic music, which originated in a similar latitude, but Varttina's harmonies have more of a Slavic character. What really makes this album such a triumph is not only the sheer beauty of the harmonies but also the personal emotion the women put into their vocals. --Geoffrey Himes