In this case, I found myself at Zihnimusic to buy a Muharrem Ertas compilation. As usual, I couldn’t help sniffing around the shop and bought another CD as well. As usual, it was a bit more poppy and trashy. A bit like going into a specialist shop and loudly ordering a Muddy Waters CD and then, when no-one’s looking, surreptitiously asking for some under-the-counter Madonna.
And so I ended up with this CD by Reyhan Karaca. I know, I know. Me neither. But she has a pretty face and, as they say, the best way to judge a CD is always by looking at the cover. Certainly, she looks attractive enough to be invited onto Charlie’s radio show. Oh, and I quite liked the brief song samples on the website.
So far, I think the Muharrem Erta is fine. Or at least, I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine whenever I actually get around to listening to it properly. The trouble is that I’m completely besotted with this Reyhan Karaca CD. It’s not quite perfect. There’s a couple of tracks that don’t quite do it for me. And her voice can sound a little thin and stretched at times, particularly on the slower songs. Oh, and there are those electronic keyboards and synthesizer noises that so many of those foreigners think are dead whizzy.
But, apart from its imperfections, it’s perfect. This isn’t music for those interested in authentic traditional music. One whiff of those electronic keyboards and they’d come out in a nasty rash. No, this is full-on pop. The kind of stuff that I’d imagine gets played in Turkish discos and bars. The soundtrack to acne and teenage fumblings. I’m guessing that this is a greatest hits compilation from the past ten years or so, but it’s hard to tell as, for some reason, the sleeve notes are all in Turkish.
It’s a strange mix. At times, it sounds very Western, with songs that I could imagine a Madonna or a Britney mangling. But at other times it sounds distinctly Eastern, with unexpected time shifts and chord changes. Best of all, the songs feature lots of those swooping strings, pulling at my heart like a seagull toying with an old pie.
With each listen, I keep getting hooked on a new pop gem. But I’d have to say Reyhan Karaca is at her best when she’s bouncy. So here’s a clip of my favourite track, Gidesim Gelmiyor (the video isn’t up to much, but there are some nice frocks and an appealing shot of her in a tub of what appears to strawberry jam).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPsNucStTPM
*****
