Much music is designed to simply entertain, some to get across a message of some type, while some albums are designed to make us think, and this very much falls into the last territory. Fella Cederbaum, the daughter of holocaust survivors, is a poet, musician, producer, filmmaker, humanitarian and much more. She has built a large and enthusiastic global following for her poetry as a weekly guest on WABC radio, broadcast in the New York tri-state area, and this album finds her providing socio-spiritual commentary on our times through her thought-provoking poetry with a gentle accompaniment (often piano).

This is not something to be played in the car, nor when there is something more important to do, as Fella’s delivery is direct and her words powerful. We do get a “proper’ song here and there, while “Truth Tango” has a proper tango accompaniment while she delivers her insights into the world. It does feel as if we are being somewhat lectured, and in many ways, this is quite difficult to listen to, as if one does not pay close attention to the arguments being portrayed then it is easy to get lost within the discourse. It is a strange bringing together of music and poetry, and I am not convinced it always works. I rarely read poetry for pleasure, and I don’t enjoy being lectured to, and this album feels like both of those, just combined with some music. However, I am sure I am not the target audience, and if this is your thing then you may well view it differently.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://mahnodahno.com/