Schmidt - Femme Schmidt (18/06/2013)
From the instant the album started spinning, I pictured someone in an opulent ballroom in a 1920’s setting, sitting on a quaint wooden table, covered in a rich burgundy cloth under a dim red light. It would catch and refract the glimmer and shine of the diamonds placed perfectly in her finger-curled hair.
She would be sipping on straight gin and laughing with her partner and their wives as she listened to some musical wonder, singing against a grand piano in the center of the room, schmoozing the crowd with her sultry, jazz-infused voice.
And as the dusky cigarette smoke would clear, the sparkling diamond that is Schmidt would be revealed, as she shimmied to her big, jazz sound.
Channeling a 20’s vibe, Schmidt is a jazz/pop artist out of Germany with a dark and decadently sensual voice, which certainly betrays her age, at just 22. Her new album, Femme Schmidt, powerfully transports the listener to another era of opulence and cocktail-laced sensual tension, gliding from fantasies of seduction, longing, love, pain and pleasure.
Folding out to the sound of jazz instruments, the first track, ‘Shadowman’ begins on a mysteriously mischievous note, recreating a similar sound to (forgive me!) the Pink Panther theme song. Despite this, the instruments have an interesting sense of lingering about them, which is set off as Schmidt’s sensual sound slowly slides in and she sings of mysterious men, cigarettes and shadows.
Her second track, ‘In The Photo Booth’, opens with the same big, jazz noise which underlays her powerful, lustful voice as she sings of dark, sensual enigmas. Yet Schmidt isn’t just smoke and sexuality. The final track, ‘Defenceless’ sees Schmidt striped back with a sound that is raw and removed from the extravagance of jazz instrumentals. Similarly, ‘Voodoo Eyes’ saw a change in the artists’ skillful portfolio, as she infused a contemporary feel into the classic jazz sound.
Schmidt’s songs are lavish and perfectly capture the luxury and opulence of the roaring 20’s. Despite her age, the album is full of powerful ballads and cabaret-styled performances that are quite inspired, and inspiring. Singing of lust and her provocative sexuality, her grandiose sound is perfectly suited to the glamour and celebrity of Hollywood epics like Chicago or the Moulin Rouge.
Aneeka Simonis
She would be sipping on straight gin and laughing with her partner and their wives as she listened to some musical wonder, singing against a grand piano in the center of the room, schmoozing the crowd with her sultry, jazz-infused voice.
And as the dusky cigarette smoke would clear, the sparkling diamond that is Schmidt would be revealed, as she shimmied to her big, jazz sound.
Channeling a 20’s vibe, Schmidt is a jazz/pop artist out of Germany with a dark and decadently sensual voice, which certainly betrays her age, at just 22. Her new album, Femme Schmidt, powerfully transports the listener to another era of opulence and cocktail-laced sensual tension, gliding from fantasies of seduction, longing, love, pain and pleasure.
Folding out to the sound of jazz instruments, the first track, ‘Shadowman’ begins on a mysteriously mischievous note, recreating a similar sound to (forgive me!) the Pink Panther theme song. Despite this, the instruments have an interesting sense of lingering about them, which is set off as Schmidt’s sensual sound slowly slides in and she sings of mysterious men, cigarettes and shadows.
Her second track, ‘In The Photo Booth’, opens with the same big, jazz noise which underlays her powerful, lustful voice as she sings of dark, sensual enigmas. Yet Schmidt isn’t just smoke and sexuality. The final track, ‘Defenceless’ sees Schmidt striped back with a sound that is raw and removed from the extravagance of jazz instrumentals. Similarly, ‘Voodoo Eyes’ saw a change in the artists’ skillful portfolio, as she infused a contemporary feel into the classic jazz sound.
Schmidt’s songs are lavish and perfectly capture the luxury and opulence of the roaring 20’s. Despite her age, the album is full of powerful ballads and cabaret-styled performances that are quite inspired, and inspiring. Singing of lust and her provocative sexuality, her grandiose sound is perfectly suited to the glamour and celebrity of Hollywood epics like Chicago or the Moulin Rouge.
Aneeka Simonis