With French and Haitian parents, from early childhood Cécile McLorin Salvant heard, loved and began performing many musical forms. On this album, she has chosen to record songs that reflect her musical heritage and to all of them she brings her very attractive vocal sound. As she states, these songs are “a huge part of how I sing, how I understand music. I’m so obsessed with language – and how different languages ‘sound’ in music.”
Considering only the musical qualities of Salvant’s singing, these 14 tracks are admirable and enjoyable, but much more lies beneath as the songs recount the tale of Mélusine. She is a legendary figure from European folklore cursed to become half-woman half-snake on one day each week until she marries a man who will respect her privacy on that day. When she does marry, her new husband eventually breaks her trust and she leaves, returning only to warn of impending death.
