Well here’s a blast from the past. I reviewed Ceci Noir three times back in 2018/19 with another publication but had lost sight of her since. Now four years later she’s back.
I’d noted previously that she is from Borlänge, in the wooded and lake-strewn Dalarna county in central Sweden = a town I once got lost in and ended up going back the way I’d come – that she waited 10 years before starting to perform the songs she had written at an early age, that she’s a full-on rock singer with a reputation for her live shows and that she reminded me of times of Elkie Brooks, with a smoky, sultry, almost cabaret artist vocal – and that is no mean comparison.
Also that her boyfriend supplied the guitar riffs and breaks.
So, four years on, what’s changed? Well I can’t remember here being particularly grungy but that’s how she’s promoting herself, as an accessory to 1990s grunge, and as an ambassador for ‘the grunge revival’.
Is it too early for a ‘grunge revival’? On the basis that a Britpop revival from the same era is still evident across Scandinavia, evidently not.
Grunge or not, two things stand out here. Firstly a distinctly Americana country rock feel to it, especially in the guitar riffs; there are even elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd in there.
Secondly that voice. Still Elkie in its rougher edges but flavoured with a dollop of Lissie. A nice cocktail.
I’m a little surprised she’s still being referred to as “a rising star”. She’s well risen and long overdue for some serious radio exposure here.
Find her on:
Website: https://www.cecinoir.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cecinoirmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cecinoir/
