Press says

Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen

Eldbjørg Raknes is, without doubt, one of the most exciting impro musicians in the kingdom.

Eyal Hareuveni, All about Jazz

Vocal Mastery. As on all of Raknes albums, it’s packaged with utmost beauty, and this time with an evocative photo of visual artist A.K. Dolven. The recording space offers an immediate intimate sonic surrounding, for the five consecutive pieces, all feature varied aspects of the masterful and precise control that Raknes has with her voice. On “Open” Raknes let the music—spare percussion, wordless low singing and subtle live sampling—to wander patiently through this space, to resonate and absorb delicate overtones, creating a deep, meditative spell. “Like Smr” is an enigmatic story sung in imaginative language. The reverberating space adds a dramatic layer, full of fragile emotions and suppressed tension(…) Raknes suggests in OPEN a new way to experience music, in space and in time. It is a deep emotional, evocative and most beautiful experience…

Adrian Huggins, Pennyblack Music

A fantastic use of layering on the vocal tracks breathes so much life into the songs in a similar way to Imogen Heep. Utterly mesmerising throughout, ‘Senses’ seems to transcend time and worlds. Whilst at one level a very modern and distinctly Scandinavian album, it at another recalls the timeless sound of chanting monnks. Split into three movements, ‘Close To’, ‘Far From’ and ‘All Right, Alive’ ‘Sense’ is a complete piece of work that you should listen to as a whole. It all loops in together perfectly as a body of work. It is a really magical album and, while there are shades of other artists, there really isn’t a lot like this. It feels totally unique and I for one wouldn’t be shocked to hear this was from another planet. A magnificent experience if you’re open to new things this will take your breathe away.

Coliner Buttimer, Jazzwise

Haunted, occasionally wracked, but strangely warming (…) whispers at the door and rattles the window frames until it seeps into the listener’s soul.

Tori Skrede, Gi meg en K (Norw. Arts Council magazine)

Raknes on the throne ( … ) I have attended a lot of musical and theatrical performances for children in my life , with and without children by my side. However, I have never experienced anything so funny, handcrafting solid , engaging and successful as this. Obviously Eldbjørg Raknes and fellow players are of the finest of its kind , and a more classical notion of one-way communication had probably also been successful . But precisely that they collaborate so much with the kids is what makes this performance so exquisite. I take my hat off and recommends the performance of the warmest !

Petter Petterson, Romsdals Budstikke

Dramatic , beautiful and sensual ( …) You will be richly rewarded when you shut out the world and uses the senses to follow her into the ” rakneske ” tone world

Bergens Tidende

Open fire. Eldbjørg Raknes conjures up music primordial energies .

Politiken

The amazing thing was that the music through all the manipulations were able to preserve its expression of human presence and spontaneity.

Carl P Opsahl, VG

From the first to the last note the music is solid cast (…) as if all the melodies are cut from the same piece. A beautiful, a somewhat subdued CD with catchy music.

Aftenposten

Here Eldbjørg Raknes shows why she is a leading voice in vocal impro in Norway today (…) Slowly floating, shifting between warm nearness and cool distance stamped by Raknes’ restless power.

Vegard Enlid, Adresseavisen

Scary , unsafe and almost entirely without safe reference frames requires ” FFFHC ” total reset of the mind and open channels (…)an insistent physical presence and an intense influence(…)The album emerges almost as a trancelike effect. This is hardcore .

Knut Markhus, Hordaland

What a gift! ( …) With small letters on the program there stood: ” to Iris on her one-anniversary ” , and the entire sports hall said thank you with standing applause after the concert. This was delicious!

Roald Helgheim, Dagsavisen

To one-anniversary of her daughter Iris yesterday had Eldbjørg Raknes made one of the most beautiful Commissioned Works on Voss Jazz . Eldbjørg Raknes is a master in using good literary texts in her music.

Dagens Næringsliv

Raknes has managed the masterpiece : to spin a musical tissue clustered around the words and keep them up rather than stifle them.

Tor Hammerø, Nettavisen

Since a larger audience became aware of her at the beginning of the 90s , she has relentlessly ensured that the public has been surprised every time she has appeared . Raknes as a vocalist has increasingly gone into new spaces and expanded its range continuously. This cd with texts by Inger Hagerup also likely for most people will be a “new ” face of Raknes . Despite the fact that this is music where the target group is children, it certainly available for children of all ages – for people with open minds.

Roald Helgheim, Dagsavisen

Typical for ein artist who never settles down ( …) That she in the meantime has been the building manager for the project Sjøbygda Kunstnarhus in Selbu can also be a source of an album where the short titles alone makes a poem ” Some day / like lighter / from frozen feet / heat overcame / closer / ka då? / so so / see , singlet / sit down / where? / everyway, everyday .” Here we can safely talk about to lay a new , strong dimension to the work of building master Raknes.

Terje Mosnes, Dagbladet

Gunpowder Strong trio … Eldbjørg Raknes has never been afraid to go her own ways . The firm grip on her own career , especially as innovative user of her voice and electronics, she has established herself as an original artist and experiencing steadily increasing international attention , with , inter alia, Chile , Switzerland , Belgium and Portugal on the itinerary this year. Her latest album , “From Frozen Feet Heat Came ” is an uncompromising step further ( …) a rawness that sometimes brings them across through Hendrix countries until the noise limit( … ) a strong and kind of disturbing experience.

Paal Kvamme, Bergens Tidende

The birthday party of all times! … Inspired , exciting and extremely successful commissioned work (…) Wild, beautiful ,airy , exciting and – God damn! – also tasteful and elegant.

Lars Mossefinn, Dag og tid

Raknes lets us dangerously close.

Terje Mosnes, Jazz i Norge

A very low speaking album(… )clear and sharp, very, very alive .

Petter Petterson, Romsdals Budstikke

Succeed in giving each song its own and personal interpretation that is unlike any other version I ‘ve heard of them.

Guro Istad, Bergens tidende

Songs that go to your head!
Following the success of concerts and the album ” There lives an old baker … ‘ , where Eldbjørg Raknes put music to Inger Hagerup’s nursery rhyme , the composer and singer this time has given musical life to Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen’s texts. And what a delicious life they’ve got ! The words trills fantasticly on the tongue and the music beautifully in the ears – it´s a perfect match. (…)
“Small songs mostly in blue ” has colors as the main theme , but it’s also room , seasons and – in short – moods. The album contains both fun and daring game with melody and words , as in “To have fun with blue eyes ” and ” Mushrooms song ” as well as quiet , pensive songs like ” Black blue and yellow ” and “New Year’s Eve .” The songs go to your head – and stay there.