Oi Va Voi, Laughter Through Tears Reviews

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Oi Va Voi, Laughter Through Tears -
Refugee (featuring KT Tunstall) 3:37
Yesterday's Mistakes (featuring KT Tunstall) 4:40
Od Yeshoma 4:54
A Csit ri Hegyek Alatt (featuring Judit N meth) 4:14
Ladino Song (featuring KT Tunstall) 4:12
7 Brothers (featuring Sevara Narakhan) 4:33
D'Ror Yikra (featuring Ben Hassan) 5:57
Gypsy (featuring Earl Zinger) 4:46
Hora 3:57
Pagamenska (featuring Majer Bogdanski) 4:03
7 Brothers Hefner Remix (Hidden Track) 4:58

Nik Ammar (guitar, mandolin, backing vocals)
Josh Breslaw (drums, percussion, production),
Leo Bryant (bass, double bass),
Steve Levi (clarinet, vocals),
Lemez Lovas (trumpet, keys, vocals, production),
Sophie Solomon (violin, viola, piano, accordian, melodica)

Yiddish folk fused with drum&bass pitches you somewhere between "Fiddler On The Roof" and Bhangra beats. Rhythmical and raw, cool and classy, sensuous and swinging, intelligent and intense, traditional and tight, and very, very addictive.

"Laughter Through Tears" (2003) is actually the second album release from London's BBC Awards for World Music 2003-nominated alternative Jewish band Oi Va Voi (Yiddish for "Oh, dear God"), building on their self-published debut "Digital Folklore" in 2002. Some tracks were remixed or parts re-recorded (e.g., swapping female for male vocals) from that first outing and then there's the genius addition of Mercury Music Prize nominated guest vocalist KT Tunstall just prior to her stratospheric rise to superstardom following her appearance on UK TV's "Later with Jools Holland" and release of her debut album "Eye to the Telescope". Her second album "Drastic Fantastic" is due for release at the time of writing so let's see if KT can keep up the good work - meanwhile her silky Scottish-cockney accent and soft lugubrious vocals work wonders to transform the comparatively naked version of "Refugee" from "Digital Folklore" into a spellbinding anthemic poppy ballad. Her voice continues to work wonders on the new material "Yesterday's Mistakes" and "Ladino Song", with soft rolling bass lines, succulently sweeping strings and contrapuntal male backing vocals making a rich exotic bag of chilled out funky dance treats for your ears.

The whole album is a well crafted joy to hear particularly wherever the klezmer-style violin of maestro Sophie Solomon features, but if forced, then other standout tracks include traditional song "A Csit ri Hegyek Alatt", the upbeat "D'Ror Yikra" and magical "Pagamenska" thankfully kept in its entirety from "Digital Folklore" with spoken voiceover from the great late bundist Bogdanski (tailor, musician and folklorist, RIP 2005, 93 yr), alav ha-shalom.

It's great and you can take my word for it, but buy it already - after all, you can't chew with someone else's teeth.