Marta Topferova: Trova

Marta Topferova is a multicultural curiosity. She was born in what was then Czechoslovakia, where she first heard South American songs, and after moving to the US when she was 11, became immersed in Latin musical styles. She learned Spanish, taught herself to play the cuatro as well as the guitar, and is now surely the only east European singer-songwriter who has been hailed as a leading member of the Latin nueva cancion (new song) movement. Her new album features songs that are mostly by herself and are all in Spanish, and it shows that she is much more than a cultural tourist. She has a fine, breathy laidback voice and the ability to switch from gently urgent songs such as the opening Juligan to slow, breathy ballads such as La Pradera, and a handful of other peoples' songs. It's all very classy, but lacking in emotion: the Latin influences are handled with a cool European restraint.