October 1999

Soesja Citroen
Song For Ma
Challenge Records

By Marcela Breton

Dutch vocalist and songwriter Citroen shows herself a formidable composer on these fourteen tunes; musical evocations of family, youth, and lost loves. The title cut is a haunting portrait of her mother, and "Lonely Street," "Place of Silence," and "Samba with the Blues" sustain the elegiac mood. She is backed by a trio featuring the fine pianist Berend van den Berg, and the "velvet tone" of guest Michael Moore, clarinet and alto sax, is heard on various numbers.