Acknowledged as one of the world’s leading violin virtuosos, Nigel Kennedy is without doubt one of Britain’s finest and most unpredictable musicians. His latest album Shhh! recorded with the Polish musicians who make up the Nigel Kennedy Quintet surely confirms this. There is a surprising guest appearance by Boy George who collaborates on one of the album’s tracks, a cover version of the Nick Drake song, ‘River Man’. George’s delicate vocal on ‘River Man’ points Kennedy’s music into a new direction, a gentle chamber pop which brings out the understated lyrical tone in his violin playing. The remaining songs on the album are all Kennedy originals. The album begins with a long instrumental opener, ‘Transfiguration’ which resembles the airborne songs of the orchestra. The moods on the album are very diverse, making the transition from one style of music to another. We have the sparse and desolate calm of ‘The Empty Bottle’ and the uplifting track, ‘Silver Lining’, whilst the album ends with the funk rock track, ‘Oy!.
Shhh! is due for release on 10th May. Nigel Kennedy will be officially unveiling the album during Nigel Kennedy’s Polish Weekend, a bank holiday festival celebrating all things Polish at London’s Southbank Centre from 29th – 31st May. You can pre-order Shhh! now at Amazon
and watch a clip about the album by clicking on the player shown below:-
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