Oh Jonne Järvelä, how he never disappoints, whether with his most well known band KORPIKLAANI, or his solo project, JONNE. His self-titled album, "Jonne", of his self-titled band is for lovers of Folk Music and Metal lovers who respect artists who have their own vision, and for those who have tastes for music as it would have been played centuries ago in predominately European countries. This album is as traditional as music gets.

Through the natural sounds, I get the distinct sense of my own ties with Earth. The pure energy that these songs put out is transcendent, not only of mere words, but also of this dimension. A connection to the spirit world is made through the medium of speakers and modern electronic output sources. These are songs of the cosmos, influenced by Shamanic culture in Scandinavia.

With a little research, I learned that SHAMAN, Jonne's band prior to that of KORPIKLAANI, was guided by the traditional music of the indigenous Sami people of Scandinavia. This seems to have translated over onto "Jonne" and Wikipedia states that the singing style of joik is comparable to Native American chanting and that note is applicable here. The vocals, apart from the lyrics, are dominated by both male and female chants, much like those used in shamanistic rituals of the Sami people. The common style of joiking is used the most, but there is also the "mumbling" style of joiking, which resembles magic spells, which were cast by Sami shamans.

I cannot express how much I appreciate the connection in this music to Scandinavia's only recognized indigenous people. The comparison to Native American chanting is firmly founded in the video for "Metsään on iäksi mieli" since a figure resembling a Native American is seen holding a feather at the beginning. Though my Finnish relies heavily on what Google Translate tells me the words mean, I need no translation at all to feel what the music tells me.

The raw instrumentation is well rehearsed and the composition is truly epic, a rare talent in the music of modern day. Looking at the world through Jonne's eyes via hearing the music, I understand the world and the forest more deeply. Even his rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" is an emotional tune, and I found it hard to resist getting caught up in the heartfelt sentiment. This album is a magnificent collection of Folk music, and though it is Metal only in connection with his association with the Metal realm, it is beautiful and stands on its own as a creation directly out of a master's mind. Thanks to Jonne himself for this international journey on the wings of voices and instruments, courtesy of his solo project debut album.
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