The Colorist & Emiliana Torrini album review: Icelandic showstopper and Gollum’s muse

THE COLORIST & EMILIANA TORRINI The Colorist & Emiliana Torrini ****Rough Trade

The Colorist & Emiliana Torrini
    
Artist: THE COLORIST & EMILIANA TORRINI
Genre: Alternative
Label: Rough Trade

Icelandic singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini has no small level of quality and diversity attached to her: from being a member of Icelandic band Gus Gus to cowriting a hit tune for Kylie Minogue (Slow) and performing Gollum's Song (in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), she has credentials and smarts to burn.

In what is a very acceptable stopgap between studio albums, Torrini here teams up with intriguing Belgian ensemble Colorist Orchestra (who describe their collaborative work as being close to “inverse karaoke”). Recorded in front of a respectful audience, Torrini performs rearranged songs from her back-catalogue.

If the notion of an attuned singer dusting off old material to the accompaniment of self-created musical instruments floats your boat, then by all means step aboard. emilianatorrini.com

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture