Reviewed by: Lee Callaghan
Evolution Music Press
October 7, 2022
From her incredibly unexpected gem album, Le Olam, Alex Krawczyk has released another single; Turning. Following the widely successful singles; Better Days and There Will Be Light, Alex delivers a quick, fast-paced invigorating acoustic performance that charges at the listener and then cuts them off just before they reach their comfort level. At slightly over two minutes long, Turning is poignant, to the point, and just about perfect for the amount of tension it builds before the abrupt end. By utilizing her contralto vocals rich in natural legato and vibrato, Alex Krawczyk takes folk music and infuses it with a spiritual energy that infects the listener with delight and glee. Although much of her subject matter remains mature and grounded, with Turning not being an exception, Alex delivers these themes with gusto and magnificence that makes you want to smile while listening. “We’ve got a beautiful world if we stop and look around.” Incorporating metaphors and imagery of the beauty the world possesses, as it turns ever around us is the key to the thematic nature of the track, yet it’s the performance in which Alex Krawczyk delivers it which needs to be highlighted. The ability to still sound like she is having fun performing her music and the joy it brings seeps through with every cadence, making me love this track more and more with each listen.
The production on Turning is very well-executed. The high frequencies of Alex Krawczyk’s voice are allowed to carry through crisp and clear while the main groove fills out the lower end of the spectrum effectively. The vocals themselves are very compressed, however, not allowing the upper overtones to completely escape over the mix. For the most part, this effect keeps the track very tight, but when Alex Krawczyk delivers her full dynamic range it does seem to get cut off. Although this track is very short, making it not appealing to commercial radio, this single does demonstrate the versatility of Alex as a songwriter, performer, and musician. Turning is a track that perfectly accompanies the rest of the album, Le Olam, as a whole. As an accompanying single Turning is a very enjoyable Country/Folk jam that appeals to a wide audience and will attract new listeners.
