Ana Laan
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Ana Laan

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"Exciting new voice"

Aside from the intriguing electronic pop of Ana Laan, the year in Latin music was marked by the absence of any exciting new voices...The debut album by this intriguing singer from Spain went by unnoticed in this country. A pity, because Laan's sultry electronic pop could very much turn her into the Hispanic version of Bjork. The title track, a bittersweet vignette describing the quiet frustration of a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is probably the most poignant Latin song of the year. - Ernesto Lechner, Chicago Tribune


"Cuantas cosas"

To view this review, check out http://www.nardismusic.com/assets/newsletter/LaManoLaan.jpg - La Mano, Spain


"Voces del verano"

A few weeks ago, I heard [a] voice that captured my imagination. Her name is Ana Laan, and I heard about ten seconds of one of her songs on an NPR show one weekend while driving. When I got home, I immediately searched for her work, and found excerpts of her latest album on-line. I ordered it from Portland's cdbaby.com, a great little music Web site, and in a few days, had a copy of "Oregano" in my CD player.

Ana Laan was born in Madrid to a university professor of Spanish from Sweden and an American mother. She was raised in Stockholm and then returned to Madrid. She has already established a singing career under the pseudonym Rita Calypso, but her debut album, ‘Oregano' is a mix of Spanish, Swedish and English, (which she speaks fluently) that is an amazing mixture of traditional songs, electronica and fusion.

Laan's voice is bittersweet chocolate with a hint of chile, washed down with a gulp of rich red wine. She completely immerses her listener in a world of warm, wonderful sound, taking them on a journey that feels absolutely modern and utterly timeless, and every time I listen, I'm amazed by her.

The title track combines popping, almost jarring electronic sounds with Laan's seductive Spanish lyrics, down to her enchanting Castillian lisp. In "Llamaste," her voice takes on the tones of a sweet, ocean-side dream, while in "Hidra" she sounds like a gypsy singing a nighttime ballad near a roaring fire. My favorite track, however, is "Blanco," which begins with an almost Portishead feel, but then slides like silk into the sexiest strip-tease ever.

On a side note, Laan is married to Uruguyan composer Jorge Drexler, the writer/performer of the Oscar-winning song "El Otro Lado del Rio," featured in "Motorcycle Diaries." Wouldn't you love to attend one of their dinner parties? - Corvallis Gazette-Times


"De Carne Y Hueso"

To view this review, check out http://www.nardismusic.com/assets/newsletter/LBE.jpg - La Banda Elastica, US/Mexico


Discography

Ana has worked with a long list of Spanish artists: Her list of credits includes supporting the likes of Javier Álvarez, Sergio Dalma, Jorge Drexler, Diego Vasallo, Christina Rosenvinge and even David Broza. Ana's backing vocals can be heard on Jorge Drexler's 2005 Oscar Winning "Al Otro Lado del Rio".

She has released one solo record, "Oregano", in Spain, Argentina and the States, and a lounge project under the name Rita Calypso.

"Oregano" was released on Nardis Music in the States, and distributed through Navarre. She is currently seeking distribution for her new project, "Chocolate and Roses".

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Bio

The startling, romantic voice of singer Ana Laan was born in Madrid and matured in Stockholm, Sweden. The daughter of a Spanish professor of literature and an American mother, Ana was raised in a home where learning was revered and multi-culturalism was the norm.

As a teenager who spoke several languages fluently (including English, Spanish and Swedish) she returned to Spain to finish her secondary education and then went on to University in Madrid, where she studied English Literature in earnest. To this day, Ana remains a great reader of books and a woman deeply involved in the cultural movements of the world. She is particularly taken with the plight of the outsider, perhaps because she, too, has felt what the outsider feels as she has traveled from country to country.

Which makes the intimacy and domestic charm of her debut Nardis Music release all the more remarkable. It is the other side of her internationalism, the voice of the internal emigre, so common in the world today as we all seek our own geographic and emotional roots. Ana Lann has learned to personalize the modern human condition in a very intimate way.

She does not come by this artistic sophistication lightly. Upon graduating from the University, she decided to develop her remarkable singing voice by joining a wide range of Spanish-speaking artists both on tour and in the studio. Her list of credits includes supporting the likes of Javier Álvarez, Sergio Dalma, Jorge Drexler, Diego Vasallo, Christina Rosenvinge and even David Broza.

Ironically, Ana Laan has recently become something of a celebrity in Spain, not for the truth she likes to sing about on her Nardis Music debut, but for her ability to craft convincing musical characters with her voice: she regularly records for the Spanish indie lounge label Siesta under the pseudonym Rita Calypso and, in 2002, her CD called Apocalypso enjoyed rave reviews and strong sales. (Spain's major daily El País voted Apocalypso CD of the week and awarded it 4 stars.)

Ana Laan’s first true solo release, Orégano, featuring her gifts as a singer-songwriter and co-produced by Leo Sidran, was released in 2004 on Sidran’s Nardis Music label. Subsequently, Ana performed in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Buenos Aires, and was a featured showcase artist at the 2005 LAMC in New York.

Ernesto Lechner wrote in the Chicago Tribune: “Aside from the intriguing electronic pop of Ana Laan, the year in Latin music was marked by the absence of any exciting new voices...The debut album by this intriguing singer from Spain went by unnoticed in this country. A pity, because Laan's sultry electronic pop could very much turn her into the Hispanic version of Bjork. The title track, a bittersweet vignette describing the quiet frustration of a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown, is probably the most poignant Latin song of the year.”

Laan spent the summer of 2006 in New York recording her sophomore album, Chocolate and Roses, also co-produced by Leo Sidran. Still in production, it will be ready for release in spring, 2007.