On her first solo album, Mysteries Unfold, the Belgian-born, Berlin-based vocalist Sophie Tassignon transcends time and language to explore and evoke a stunning panoply of human emotion.
Mysteries Unfold weaves a dazzling sonic tapestry from the varicoloured threads of Tassignon’s versatile and daring voice. Able to grip the listener’s heart with just her emotional expression of a lyric, Tassignon crafts a staggering variety of effects by layering her voice into polyphonic architectures or lush choruses, powerful ensembles or enigmatic atmospheres. Drawing influence from the ancient to the boundary-stretching, she unearths a unifying strain of spiritual longing that underlies the human experience.
Mysteries Unfold presents something entirely new, stark in its elements but limitless in its imaginative possibilities.
This openness shines through Tassignon’s often surprising choice of material for the project. Along with four striking original compositions, the vocalist performs pieces by Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, country songwriter Dolly Parton, Russian bard Yuliy Chersanovich Kim, and folk-rock band Cowboy Junkies. Harmonies that harken back to Gregorian chants coexist with bold, modern electroacoustic experimentation, primal vocalizations with luxurious melodies, yet all sound of a piece through the vessel of Tassignon’s virtuoso vocals.
