Sa Dingding l'électro-world venue de Chine

Une nouvelle review dans The Guardian

If only she’d calm down, and not dress up her songs with production work that is often as over-elaborate as her theatrical stage shows, Sa Dingding could well become the first Chinese superstar. She is, after all, a unique performer. She is young, glamorous and thoughtful, and is already building a following in the west thanks to her blend of electronica and Chinese folk influences, mostly from the Yunnan province, mixing beats with such traditional instruments as the zheng Chinese zither, and singing in anything from Mandarin to Sanskrit, English to an invented language of her own. She has a powerful voice and impressive range, and has written some sturdy melodies, but clearly can’t decide where to place herself on the world-pop spectrum. The result is an album that works well in patches but ultimately fails because of the clutter of voices, effects and strings. The opening Ha Ha Li Li is an entertaining exercise in stomping Chinese folk-rock, while the breathy Little Tree/Big Tree shows she can handle an easygoing lullaby. Elsewhere, producer Marius de Vries (of Björk and Madonna fame) piles on the epic effects with exhausting persistence. Why doesn’t Sa Dingding record a more acoustic album to prove there’s a real personality behind all the bombast? RD

2ème critique publiée en Angleterre dans l’Independent (bientôt les magazines français)

Sa Dingding’s follow-up to her 2008 debut album lies somewhere between her own rural Chinese roots and producer Marius De Vries’ assured grasp of occidental pop modes, honed over decades of work with the likes of Madonna, Massive Attack, Elbow and Bjork’s breakthrough Debut.

There’s a similar sense of an independent poetic spirit seeking out fresh ways of expressing herself, though in Sa Dingding’s case she incorporates more recognisably native elements, both through Chinese instrumentation such as the Gu Zheng zither, Pipa lute and Wa flute, and in the folk-tale roots of much of her imagery. “Girl In A Green Dress”, for instance, is redolent of “the scent of a flower/ upstream along the rivulet”, and the rare snow lotus in “Hua” confirms how “eternity is not an endless wonder, it’s just the blink of an eye, within your heart”. Elsewhere, “Xi Carnival” sets Buddhist scripture to an uptempo groove. Musically, “Ha Ha Li Li” provides the most propulsive deep bass groove for Sa Dingding’s vocal blend of stealthy intimacy and keening ululation, both aspects extended further through the “self-created language” employed on “Yun Yun Nan Nan” and the Heart Sutra, “Xi Ran Ning Po”.

Download this Ha Ha Li Li; Girl In A Green Dress; Yun Yun Nan Nan; Blue Horse

1ère critique publiée d’Harmony lue dans le Times Online…

Two albums in and the career of the Chinese electro-folk singer is looking increasingly interesting. Employing Marius de Vries as a producer was a potentially risky decision, but it pays back in spades as he pushes her far beyond her comfort zone and creates an expansive, richly detailed soundscape for her to play with. Though the album has been dressed up in the finest silks for Western consumption, Dingding’s roots shine through on tracks such as Pomegranate Woman and Blue Horse.