Genre/Influences: Ethereal, soundtrack, experimental-pop.

Background/Info: Nymphya is an American female project driven by Valentina O. I found out that she was previously  a professional opera singer, and also an actor, performer and soundtracks for commercials, television ao. This work was originally released in 2017 (!).

Content: I didn’t know what to expect, but the front cover and pictures featured in the booklet have something dreamy-like while the appearance of Valentina O.  has something baroque-like. It’s not really a coincidence she calls her work ‘baroque-pop’. I especially noticed her trained singing skills and some soundtrack-like passages. But there also is something pop-like running through a few cuts.

+ + + : When I listened to the album I didn’t know any background about this artist, but I immediately noticed her impressive vocal skills. Her timbre of voice is warm and inviting the listener to dream away, but it also sounds powerful and even a bit ‘soul’-like on other tracks. Sound-wise Valentina O.  also reveals great composition skills. She plays guitar, keyboards and percussion while she got some help from a few guest musicians on a few tracks.

– – – : Valentina O. is good looking woman, a talented singer and a multi-instrumentalist. Does she have a defect? Not really, but her album is maybe missing a hit while she also mixes a lot of influences… maybe too much influences instead of focalizing on one specific style.

Conclusion: I always have liked artists dealing with something atypical; that’s precisely what Nymphya is all about while it also remains a truly sonic trip.

Best songs: “Beautiful Wound”, “Wasteland”, “We Carry On”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.nymphya.com / www.facebook.com/nymphya