Nijole Sparkis
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Ethereal evocative/eclectic with an ambient/world pop/New Age feel
Status:
Most recent release, Parallel Universe (2005)
See also:
Nijole Sparkis's site
Comparisons:
There's a touch of Sheila Chandra in her overall sound
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
Nijole Sparkis's music has a lot of World Music and New Age influences. She has a slightly nasal voice with an impressive range, which reminds me a lot of Sheila Chandra, especially in its evocative mix of world sounds. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)Nijole has a very beautiful and moving voice. Her music is really pretty cool in the vein of Dead Can Dance, Loreena McKennitt and Louisa John-Krol with a bit of a 60s psychedelic element as well. Very Ecto friendly... (wpm@value.net)
Recommended first album:
Parallel Universe is her debut
Recordings:
Parallel Universe (2005)
Parallel Universe
Release info:
2005—Spark-N-a-Kis Music/Golden Goat Records
Availability:
See Nijole Sparkis's site
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Nijole Sparkis—vocals
Guest artists:
Fritz Heede—keyboards, guitars, sitar, saz, octave mandolin
Gilbert Levy—world percussion, kit drums
Barry Newton—acoustic bass
Suzanne Teng—flutes
John Krovoza—cello
Terry Glenny—violin
George Hamad—Arabic violin
Produced by:
Fritz Heede
Comments:
The uplifting lyrics and ambience makes this feel quite New Age, but the mix of world sounds lifts it above the usual music of that genre. The sound is carefully crafted with a lot of influences from Nijole Sparkis' Lithuanian heritage. Highly recommended for any fans of ethereal/ambient music and anyone who likes more creative New Age music or music with lush world influences. (sophiagurley@hotmail.com)
Thanks to Sophia Gurley for work on this entry.
