The look from that sensual lady behind her veil on the CD-cover, promised me much pleasure for an hour or so. No! Not that kind of pleasure, you dirty minds, but musical pleasure of course! Madame Zelle tells the story of Mrs. Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, better known as the Dutch exotic dancer Mata Hari (1876-1917). The Italian band Conqueror takes on its fourth album ample time to tell the story of her life. Nine tracks in 66 minutes mean that the story gets enough room to develop. Singer Simone Rigano sounds exactly like Emila Derkowska, the former singer of Quidam, although Simone sings in Italian and not in Polish naturally. Also the often used flute by Sabrina Rigano makes the similarity with the old Quidam all the more striking. Nice flowing songs with flute and occasionally saxophone and frequently a civilized guitar solo in the long instrumental passages makes Madame Zelle not only a delight to look at, but also to listen to. This makes the final judgment much more pleasant for Conqueror than it was for Mata Hari! ***André de Waal (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
