review of new CD by Mikveh

[Seth Rogovoy <rogovoy...>]

[Here's the text of a review I wrote of the fabulous new CD by Mikveh, as it
appears in my column "Texts and Tunes" in the new issue of the Berkshire
Jewish Voice:]

Mikveh, "Mikveh" (Traditional Crossroads): The debut album by this
all-female quintet brings together several of the most talented performers
and writers in klezmer and Yiddish song, including vocalist Adrienne Cooper,
violinist Alicia Svigals (of the Klezmatics), accordionist/vocalist Lauren
Brody (of Kapelye), and clarinetist Margot Leverett -- sort of the Crosby,
Stills, Nash and Young of modern Yiddish music. But this is not just another
new klezmer album. There has arguably never been anything like this ever
recorded, and if ever an album of Yiddish song were going to “cross over”
and gain widespread recognition based on the beauty of the performances, the
integrity of the arrangements and the universal appeal of the theme – in
this case, an entire album’s worth of songs (most in Yiddish and a few in
English) about women’s lives – this is the one. On several vocal numbers,
including “Ay ay ay mazl tov,” “Eyshes khayil” and “Di arbuzn,” you’d think
the Bulgarian Women’s State Radio and Television Choir had learned to sing
in Yiddish. This is a rich, deep album that is at once traditional and
contemporary, virtuosic art music and populist folk music, Old World and New
World, a celebration of sisterhood and in particular a work that finally
showcases the full panoply of Adrienne Cooper’s manifold talents.

---Seth Rogovoy

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