Ida Sand

Ida Sand’s latest album Do You Hear Me? is the Swedish soul-jazz diva’s most personal work yet. She composed all ten tracks herself – yet they couldn’t be more different. There is the ambient, mid-tempo folk number “Wasted on the Youth”, the track “Burning” oscillating between bluesy desire and gospel-like rapture, and the soulful torch song “Too Close for Comfort”, all unified by Sand’s knack for melody that speaks to the heart. Despite this diversity of moods and styles, the songs all share a guiding theme: “relationship”. Sand has recruited a number of top-class musical companions, including her long-term accompanist, the virtuosic organist Jesper Nordenström, and the e.s.t. veteran Dan Berglund on the bass. Together, they have created works that virtually force themselves onto the stage with all their longing and all their soul – answering the question posed in the album’s title with a resounding “yes”.