Siena Root – Made in KuBa (Live)
Siena Root – Made in KuBa (Live)
Perception (RPM)
Release Date: 03/10/2025
Review by Beth Morait
9.5/10
The discernible, classic bluesy tone of Root Rock creates a burning flame for those of us of a nostalgic persuasion. A yearning for the Halcion days of the love generation, where the world was a Betamax capture, sepia-toned and glitchy, played back on projector screens in smoky living rooms on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a calmer, mellower day in the sun, on a beaten path somewhere out west, with the orange rocks cracked and nothing for miles, except the cacti pointing to the heavens. It’s a snapshot in time where the world was angry, but the young were determined to unite everyone with love. A state that I wish the world were still in now. And it’s those long-remembered times that Swedish Root Rockers, Siena Root, bring in their sound. But their presence is more than just sound, it’s an entire performance experience, and this new album “Made in KuBa (Live)” is an extension of this.
Recorded in analog, with a tape recorder, at 3 gigs in Germany’s Kulturbanhof (KuBa) venue, the band prides their work on being completely organic, with no clever studio trickery added afterwards, to capture not only the sound, by also the vibe of the performance. And that is exactly what we get on the recording here. It’s sludgy, diverse, and rooted strongly in the ability to improvise freely, so that no 2 performances sound the same.
This is a band who understand the strength of dynamics, and the power of pauses. They’re not afraid to be minimalist, while still intricately building layers to create crescendos that appear unending. Loving the example of this in ‘We (We Are Them)’ which also has a supreme bit of Hammond organ in, provided by guest artiste Erik Peterson on keys.
This is a very on-point performance, showing the band’s devotion and love of the sound, and their feel for the music. It goes way further than just technical perfection too. It’s the sort of musical understanding that is something you can’t learn. It’s just in you naturally. It is you, and it gives you the freedom and understanding to experiment without fear of getting it wrong, because ‘wrong’ as a musical concept, doesn’t exist.
Their sound reminds me of early Jefferson Airplane. Melancholic, but driven, it’s a sound that you can just get lost in. Vocal duties are taken on by Zubaida Solid, who has the most beautiful, sultry, haunting voice, which perfectly complements the bluesy, desert Rock provided by Sam Riffer on Bass, Love Frosberg on drums and percussion, and Johan Borgström on guitars.
We also have added Flute in quite a few songs, provided by the second guest artiste, Lisa Isaksson. This classic 60s trope further cements the authentic nature of the sound delivered by Sienna Root, and makes this an album that should definitely be on your playlist, if you find yourself looking for rose-tinted glasses anytime soon.
Everything about this album just makes you feel calm. It’s art, without lapsing into pretentiousness, but instead keeping everything firmly rooted in rhythm and soulful exploration. I recommend listening to this in darkness, through your good headphones, and just breathing in the atmosphere and letting the music speak to your inner self.
TRACKLISTING
01. Coincidence & Fate
02. Ridin’ Slow
03. Wishing for More
04. Mountain II
05. We (We Are Them)
06. Keeper of the Flame
07. Tales of Independence
08. In My Kitchen
09. The Summer Is Old
10. Outlander
11. Imaginary Borders
12. Root Rock Pioneers
LINKS:
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