Can you remember the at every big festival, there was this woman on stage, with a giant fur cap? I do it was not a common thing, so it is something you would remember, even in high summer she would be wearing that fur hat. What I did forget was how great her music actually is. Her music has always fascinated me, it is intens, and keep you glued to your headphones.
Kovacs career started out in 2014 when her single My Love hit the Dutch charts and even made it number 1 in Greece. This was the year she also go to play on all the major festivals in the Netherlands and Belgium. Child of Sin is her third album, and is like many of the albums coming out now written partially during the Covid pandemic.
The album starts out with "Fragile" a very quiet and fragile song, one of the more emotional songs, apart from the title track "Child In Time". "Fragile gives me a sort of gothic, spooky feel, expecially the piano is a little bit "haunting and acompany with beautiful violin play. It always feels like Kovacs has an entire orchestra backing her on every song. It always has a bit of a classical background, this one also reminds me a bit of a music box lullaby.
The piano continues playing during the second song, "Goldmine" but takes on a more happy sound. This song has several meaning for Kovacs, as she stated in an interview. It is partially about the negative influence a major record label may have on an artist but also addresses the topic of finding your own way to happiness.
The third song "Child of Sin" is already my favorite one of this album, this may have something to do with Till Lindemann joining Kovacs. Till Lindemann better known as the frontman of Rammstein has such a beautiful deep dark voice. This is a very subtle song, but also very powerful. It is full of emotion and the combination of Sharon's voice with that of Till Lindemann gives a very pure and fragile sound. This songs is so pure, it hits all the right places. The one strange thing about it is hearing Till sing in English, as his main work is off course in German. I was immediately sold on this song.
After such an emotional rollercoaster "Bang Bang" is very refreshing. It sound worldly, and makes me think of Spanish/Portugues castanets. It sounds also like summer. From the sunny Portuguese countryside where Kovacs spend a lot of time during the COVID pandemic, we leave for a different sunny place, somewhere where "Freedom" is not always a fact, I am thinking of the middle east and then especially in regard to women who sometimes still live in oppression. I just realized how divers this album is in sound, and the strangest thing, it all fits.
"Love Parasite" and "High Tide" I just don't have much to say about, they are what they are, but do not hit any specific feeling with me, all though I must say I love the lyrics for "High Tide":
" If we hit high tide, The banks are gonna break, The flood comes rushing over, The castles that we made, If we hit high tide, I will let the water, Drag me back into the ocean, Back into the ocean"
The song "Mama" gives me goose bumps, this one does hit you in the face, and is another very emotional song, I am a little bit at a loss for words on this one, how to explain how it makes me feel. It is beautiful, and I keep thinking what an amazing voice Sharon has.
This album is full memories, processing of emotions and experiences, it is has influences of many different gernes and countries and yet it is one whole concept. I am definitely going to listen to this album lots of times, and I would definitely want to see Kovacs live now. In the same interview I was talking about earlier she expressed that she wanted to go on tour again so I think I will have a chance soon to she her live.
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