The woman, by Michèle Raffaele
From the page “Events and Shows” on the magazine “Cultura & Culture” by Raffaella Sbrescia
Class, refinement and originality: these are the key points of “Minor Offender”, Michèle Raffaele’s first work, an artist born and raised in Canada, who has recently moved to Italy, endowed with a particular voice, streaked with an aura of mystery. The tracks which compose her pop-jazz EP are inspired by the image of a fragile, vulnerable woman, who lets herself be taken in by the commanding frivolity of the contemporary era. Her being seductive reveals itself to be colder and colder and more and more complicated, at some points grotesque, leaving the protagonist at the mercy of an indefinite sense of bewilderment. Michèle’s hypnotic, ethereal, complex voice is accompanied by an elegant and sophisticated composition for piano in the title track “Minor Offender”.
Lightness and intensity live side by side in a strong contrasting content in “Lady Maybe”, a refined retro atmosphere leaves small and pleasant space to Michèle’s vibrato and to her measured high notes. The charm of vintage is also convincing in “Montréal…je reviendrai” Michèle’s tribute to her native land sprinkled with moving twilight images. “Remember Me Next Sunday” is, on the other hand, the portrait of a young African man met a while ago in a soup kitchen, in which the word “closer” is felt more and more, stressed, emphasized , made dangerous to the point of being cancelled by a final farewell in the piece. The crafty liveliness with which “Superior’s” melody is designed gives it, in the end, a subtle folk aura. A soft pop-scented jazz is the pleasant result of Michèle’s successful first EP recording.
Raffaella Sbrescia