TURQUOISE

TURQUOISE is / was a progressive folk band from Lesko in the southeastern tip of Poland that formed in 2002 and released three albums in the first decade of the 2000s. Whether this band is still technically active is unclear but the last album appeared in 2007 so at the very least TURQUOISE has been on a very extended hiatus. While the core of the band remained the same throughout the three album run, the band is notable for having different female vocalists on each album. This self-titled debut was recorded the same year of the band's formation and featured vocalist Katarzyna Jajko along with Alexander Zelazny (guitar), Marek Sokól (keyboards), Marcin Zwonarz (percussion) and Sebastian Klus (bass). Of those members only Sokól would leave before the third album.

This debut album features ten tracks with a playing time of just over 46 minutes and showcases a mix of soft sensual folk music along with moments of dramatic keyboard dominated symphonic prog. The band has been compared to fellow Poles Quidam (which the band features members of) as well as Hungary's You And I as well as Mostly Autumn. The Lesko region of Poland is famous for its traditional Polish folk music and one of the regions where traditional Polish lifestyles still take place and the music of TURQUOISE delivers some of that lost innocence with a fairytale-like display of soft folk guitar strumming with almost lullaby type vocal deliveries. In addition the acoustic guitars add some elements of classical music and the songs are lushly orchestrated with a slickness that adds to the dreaminess that the album cover art suggests.

All lyrics are in Polish so for folkies who relish in lyrical messages you won't comprehend a word unless you speaka the lingo. Traditional folk guitar melodies sound haunting almost like the approach of Ritchie Blackmore's folk project Blackmore's Night however Jajko's childlike vocal style keep the entire album in a very calm and pacifying moodiest even when keyboard arrangements pick up steam and the occasional guitar solo is allowed to go for a stroll. In some ways the band does have some neo-prog qualities only adapted to a very texture-rich style of folk music that doesn't evoke a lot of the Polish countryside as one would expect from the Lesko region. While the majority of the album is acoustic, the rock aspects do come and go with some tracks like "A Ja / A Ty" delivering a soft breezy style of rock that makes me think of what The Cranberries would sound like if they drifted into progressive territory.

The debut by TURQUOISE is a nice gentle listening experience from the south of Poland but seems a little too tame for its own good. I would rather have an entirely progressive folk album or one that turns up the rock aspects a bit more. It seems uneven and even indecisive in which direction it wants to take. Despite it all the compositions are pleasant and the production is excellent with the primary focus being on Jajko's sensual vocal style that gives the album an overall serene effect. While there's nothing on TURQUOISE's debut that will make you wish you hadn't experienced it, for some reason this one just seems like it doesn't deliver what it promises. It's a little too safe without expanding into any particular territory that really grabs me. It's an okay album for sure but unfortunately doesn't excel to any level that gets my juices flowing either.