BBC WORLD
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WEST DEUTSCHLAND RADIO
„ZMEI3 are psychedelic and melancholic, spiritual and soulful, jazzy and experimental, sometimes even rock, always very Romanian and, above all, brave.“
WORLD MUSIC CENTRAL
„this folksy, bluesy, jazzy, slightly quirky, avant-gardesque musical landscape of the rough road of the post-Communist Romanian soul. Rough Romanian Soul is a fierce, authentic, artfully crafted musical landscape.“
DER TAGESSPIEGEL BERLIN
""A passionate performance, loud and euphoric, virtouso and touching."
JAZZ WEEKLY
"You want something unique? How about a mix of Romanian folk, indie pop and jazz? The team deliver 15, count ‘em 15 songs that range in moods from noir to Sunday church picnics...Passions from the old world mix with Boris Karloff movies on this wide palate of sounds and song.”
POPMATTERS.COM
„The group’s new album Rough Romanian Soul is a gorgeous record with passion and, indeed, soul running through it. Classically trained singer Paula Turcas is something special with her stunning voice, capable of soaring high and low with subtle inflections adding meaning and feeling to every word.”
“Turcas is poised to take her place amongst rarified vocalists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Umm Kulthum, and Yma Sumac, singers whose virtuosic gifts transcend language to such a degree that they even become symbols of an entire culture or region.”
“Turcas is poised to take her place amongst rarified vocalists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Umm Kulthum, and Yma Sumac, singers whose virtuosic gifts transcend language to such a degree that they even become symbols of an entire culture or region.”
THE VINYL DISTRICT
"ZMEI3, Rough Romanian Soul (Six Degrees) Pronounced zmay-tray, the group consists of vibe player Oli Bott, double bassist Arnulf Ballhorn, guitarist, vocalist and lyricist Mihai Victor Iliescu, and powerhouse lead singer Paula Turcas. The 15 tracks are indeed soulful but also bluesy, folky, and even a little jazzy as the disc, recorded live without overdubs with producer Ian Brennan (his services acquired through a Kickstarter campaign), exudes a robust atmosphere that’s rootsy but not bucolic.“
WRUV
„The vocals are gorgeous, sometimes reminiscent of the Fado style, other times Edith Piaf. Fine work on the vibes also stands out. Recorded live. Every track a delight!”
LE DEVOIR
„There is first Paula Turcas, marvelous soprano voice, vibrant and fragile, capable of spectacular flights and the most intimate sweetness… the very versatile Oli Bott, virtuoso of the vibraphone and atmospheres... the guitarist Victor Mihai Iliescu who can travel towards the punk or hard attitude with much depth... and the double base player Arnulf Ballhorn that easily adapts to the whole ensemble… the group creates a kind of fascinating blues, universal and multivalent.”
THE AUSTRALIAN
"Rough Romanian Soul, a heartfelt and haunting album that draws on rock, blues and jazz settings and struggles of the past as well as the post-communist era…”
MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"Romanian immigrant band Zmei3 (pronounced "zmay-tray") present a profound and powerful music album that evokes the difficulty of trying to earn a living amid post-Communist rule...Rough Romanian Soul overflows with heartfelt passion, speaking openly of immigration, oppression, loneliness, and resilience, as well as showcasing the majesty of the Romanian language. Intense and unforgettable, Rough Romanian Soul is a welcome addition to world music collections…”