If you enjoy intimate personal songs delivered by a clean emotive theatrical voice, the new album ‘Borrowed Time’ by singer-songwriter Birte Paulsen may be just what you’re looking for and more. The musicianship and performances are complex, adventurous, dynamic, rich, characteristic and diverse. The music is not afraid to ebb & flow or soar and make a statement yet still manages to always complement the mood and nuances of the vocal lead. There’s a healthy splatter of European traveling minstrel folk or dark cabaret type instrumentation but all fused into an overall sound that is more unique, cohesive and has more contemporary indie/folk/pop sensibilities than music merely imitating or paying homage to those styles. I feel this is an album that will polarize listeners, there will be those who absolutely love it, those who don’t like it at all and not much in between but the quality is undeniable. I was fortunate enough to receive an advance pre-release copy of the entire album and I’m enjoying it more and more with each listen… There’s some sample tracks on Birte’s Youtube channel and you can follow the links to Bandcamp and pre-order the album.
