Reviews on Sisyphus for February 2021

#3 in the World Music Charts Europe for the month of February
https://www.wmce.de/

#5 in the Transglobal World Music Chart – February
http://www.transglobalwmc.com/wp-content/uploads/TWMC-FEBRUARY-2021.pdf

Weekly World Music Charts and Adds Submitted to NACC and Roots Music Report 
#2 on the weekly list (February 16, 2021) of MergingArts Global Radio
#1 on the weekly list (February 23, 2021) of MergingArts Global Radio
http://mergingartsproductions.com/Radio/WorldMusicCharts.aspx

#5 at the Top 50 Albums for the week of February 27 at the Roots music Report (RMC)
https://www.rootsmusicreport.com/charts/view/album/sub_genre/world/weekly/2021-02-27/2021-02-27?fbclid=IwAR2uDRJ5beCfEcjXyPQO2uRYnUn8_lIpK7RYlf6y441-AA9dtGofzXr5x1o

Reviews on Sisyphus

15-02-2021
World Music Charts Europe
“The best newcomer of the month” (no. 3 in February 2021) 
Bojan Djordjevic member of the jury WMCE, Serbia: 
When one speaks about music from Greece, usually you will not expect a story about a woman artist playing kanun, also a composer, with both legs and her arms into contemporary and experimental music as well as into Greek traditional music. And that her first solo album is inspired by Sisyphus, but rather by the work of Albert Camus than by the Greek mythology. Yes, that is Sofia Labropoulou.
Her composing and playing and selection of featured artists show that she mastered her instrument, but does not put it in front. Her compositions give space for the story to develop and for others to shine. The opening lament with famous singer Marta Sebestyen starts the fantastic journey through the whole album. 

Kuba Borysiak, member of the jury WMCE, Poland: 
The album “Sisyphus” refers directly to a well-known myth from Greek mythology,  We can also find references to the essays by Albert Camus. This is an album with a unique sound. On the one hand, it is full of eclecticism, the sounds of various instruments and voices (with Márta Sebestyén as a guest!), on the other hand, it is surprisingly “Greek”. Of course, this concept also includes many other influences from the Mediterranean basin. All this is due to the extraordinary sensitivity of Sofia Labropoulou, an artist who is a composer and virtuoso of the kanun. Among her original inspirations, we find the melodies of the Ottoman Empire, Arabic music, and songs by the Sex Pistols! It’s a really intriguing mix,  masterfully performed by a group of experienced musicians.

Vladimír Potančok, member of the jury, Slovakia WMCE:
 Sisyphus is a very strong debut of the Greek composer and kanun player Sofia Labropoulou combining folk music with Medieval or contemporary one, poetry with philosophy, and also visual arts. Seven compositions are using different sources (Greek and Hungarian folk, Ottoman tradition, songs of the Sex Pistols…) epitomize various stages of the author’s artistic development, and despite their different length and a big variety of instruments and voices used in individual compositions, the listener could feel and enjoy the real mystery of the unity of the whole album. Let’s praise this Sisyphus’s work!

24/02/2021
Fondas Trousas – Diskoryxeion
Sofia Labropoulou is a musician and composer and she plays an instrument called kanun. From this alone you begin to realize a lot – especially when it is preceded by the album “Butterfly” that they did together with the guitarist Vassilis Ketentzoglou) from Odradek Records, in 2019.
https://diskoryxeion.blogspot.com/2021/02/blog-post_24.html?fbclid=IwAR3rL86ewR_qMyw3SG2dovYOHu63atSqvtJa8Cl3XnL2wNAkvUwHltYKGeQ