Apparently Unaffected [Turquoise Marbled Vinyl]

by Maria Mena

Overview

Hailing from Norway, singer Maria Mena found herself with some surprisingly high success at only 15 years old, a pop prodigy incorporating adult levels of emotion into her songwriting early, and backing it up with a soulful vocal that carries the right pieces to make the sound whole. On Apparently Unaffected, her third album builds strongly upon her previous efforts. While there are a few fairly standardized pop tracks (the bouncing but lyrically flat "Boytoy Baby"), the bulk of the album uses well-constructed arrangements set around the strong but intentionally unmanipulated vocals of Mena. The pieces pack an emotional punch through her delivery as much as through the lyrics. There's longing here, and passion, and a guarded vulnerability. Mena has a slight warble to much of her phrasing, a touch that makes some of the passages sound as though pried from an emotional outburst. For the most part, though, this makes for a nice addition to fairly moving tracks. It can be a bit much over the course of the album as a whole, but on any individual track, the sound is entirely refreshing, something worth hearing anew now and then. She's still breaking into the American markets, having captured much of the European scene already, but Mena, and most of Apparently Unaffected, are worth seeking out. ~ Adam Greenberg

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2023
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262027251
Rank:	56565

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Maria Mena   Primary Artist,Vocals
Arvid Solvang   Bass,Fuzz Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Tanja Orning   Cello
Andre Orvik   Violin
Fredrik Wallumrod   Drums
Jorn Halbakken   Violin
Eileen Siegel   Violin
Hans Josef Groh   Cello
Vegard Johnsen   Violin
Bendik Foss   Viola
Oyvind Fossheim   Violin
Stig Ove Ose   Viola
Gunnhild Sundli   Vocals
Eivind Buene   Conductor
Dorthe Dreier   Viola
Martin Sjolie   Pump Organ,Piano (Grand),Organ (Hammond)

Technical Credits

Maria Mena   Composer
Arvid Solvang   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Programming
Jan Erik Kongshaug   Mixing
Chris Sansom   Mixing
Morten Lund   Mastering
Martin Kvamme   Design
Eivind Buene   String Arrangements
Martin Sjolie   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Programming