Cabinet of Curiosities, Vol. 4 Tori Sparks

• 1 Hammer 04:09
• 2 What It Was 04:39
• 3 Underdog 03:17
• 4 Blood Under the Bridge 02:34
• Total Runtime 14:39

Info for Cabinet of Curiosities, Vol. 4

This is the singer, songwriter, and producer’s eighth full-length album, and her first studio recording since 2017. Rolling Stone magazine calls Sparks “an adventurer, always pushing the envelope.”

As you might expect from a project that has been in development for almost a decade in the mind of an artist known for breaking barriers, it's not a traditional album. Cabinet of Curiosities is a multifaceted project, divided into five parts: five volumes of four songs each, which together form a fascinating whole. Each volume of songs trends towards a different musical style: blues and gospel, folk, noir country, rock and soul, trip-hop and nu-jazz. Each has its own distinct character and sound.

The album is a collection of songs that reflects the complicated world around us and the fractured era in which we live, with all the good and bad, the light and the darkness. The lyrics explore themes such as societal expectations, technology, faith, depression, death, the fight against injustice, family, faith, love, heartbreak; in short, everything that shapes our all too human existence.

This project represents a significant step forward for Tori, both musically and artistically. In the words of El Rubio, Tori's closest musical collaborator for the past 13 years: "It's a an incredibly original project, and probably the best album she's released so far. With a fascinating creative and philosophical concept, and songs showcase a significant evolution as an artist, and a noticeable maturity as a songwriter, with catchy melodies and brilliant harmonic twists."

Cabinet of Curiosities contains a total of 21 new, original compositions. The recordings feature collaborations with Francisco Guisado “El Rubio” (guitar), Ramon Vagué (bass), Carlos López (drums), and special guest artists, including gospel singers from the world-renowned Tennessee Mass Choir from Memphis, acclaimed Spanish soul singer Nuri Thunder from the band BigBlack Rhino, and violinist Fats Kaplin, who has collaborated with Jack White, Beck, Elvis Costello, John Prine, and many others.

Why “Cabinet of Curiosities”?

The album title, "Cabinet of Curiosities," was inspired by the collections of natural specimens in Renaissance Europe that bore the same name. These collections of strange, absurd, mysterious, beautiful, unique specimens were meant to provoke wonder and curiosity. It was how people hundreds of years ago tried to explain the natural world, and life in general: by constructing a miniature representation of it.

This is the concept behind the idea of a traditional cabinet of curiosities, and also behind Tori Sparks' ambitious new musical project.

Cabinet of Curiosities is a collection of songs that reflects the human condition: the complex world around us, the fractured era in which we live, with all the good and bad, the light and the darkness. The lyrics explore themes such as societal expectations, religion, family, technology, depression, death, politics, the fight for justice, family, love and heartbreak; in short, everything that shapes our complicated, painful, beautiful lives.

Tori Sparks, vocals, acoustic guitar, spanish guitar
Fats Kaplin, violin
Francisco Guisado "El Rubio", electric guitars, acoustic guitar
Ramon Vagué, double bass
Carlos Lopez, drums
Pau Romero, baritone guitar, lap steel, piano, shaker

Tori Sparks
stammt ursprünglich aus Chicago; später lebte und nahm sie 4 Alben in Nashville auf, verbrachte jedoch immer den größten Teil ihrer Zeit auf Tournee. 2011 zog Tori Sparks von Nashville nach Barcelona und hinterließ innerhalb weniger Jahre bereits ihre Spuren in ihrer neuen Heimat. 2018 nahm das Rockmagazin Popular1 Sparks in die Liste der fünf wichtigsten weiblichen Stimmen Spaniens auf; 2019 erhielt sie die Auszeichnung als Rockkünstlerin des Jahres vom Magazin No Solo Cine; ihre Stimme ist auf Soundtracks zu hören (Criminal Minds, Félix, Sky Rojo, andere).

Toris fünftes Album, El Mar (Glass Mountain Records, 2014), war ihre erste Zusammenarbeit mit dem in Barcelona ansässigen Flamenco-Fusion-Trio Calamento und dem E-Gitarristen El Rubio. Ihre ungewöhnliche zweisprachige Mischung aus Blues, Rock, Folk und Flamenco begann als Nebenprojekt, entwickelte sich jedoch schnell zu einem internationalen Erfolg, der als „abenteuerlich, Grenzen überschreitend“ (Rolling Stone) und „reine Kunst“ (Los Conciertos de Radio3) bezeichnet wurde. Ihre Stärke als Live-Performer liegt in ihrer Fähigkeit, Musikgenres nahtlos zu verbinden und ein Publikum aus allen Gesellschaftsschichten anzusprechen, sei es vor 100 Menschen in einem kleinen Club oder vor 30.000 Menschen bei renommierten Festivals wie dem Montreux Jazz Festival (Schweiz), Bele Chere (USA), Festival Jardins Pedralbes (Spanien), Su La Testa (Italien) und anderen.

This album contains no booklet.