"Ajru"
isa dynamic show of frenetic rhythms mixed together with truly intimist
melodies, numerous instruments whose tones merge, yet maintain all that
which is most traditional of avant-guard sounds as a focal point. And
all of this is carried by one solitary voice which represents the true
strength of our sound, Mercedes Peon. "Ajru" is a great performance
which reaches all kinds of audience ; this can be perceived due to the
sell-out concerts and the fantastic audience participation, dancing and
singing along to the chorus and will, without doubt, give people
something to talk about.
"From
the vocal flights of "Isué" or "Sombra e Luz" to the theatrics of
Marabilla, Peon shows us her world. A world with its roots somewhere in
the west of the Iberian Peninsula, and which reaches us through these
eleven numbers. (...) A great voice from the shifting skies of Galicia.
Her name is Mercedes Peon. Listen to her, absolutely! " - CELTICS
"A
girl with a shaved head, wearing a skirt and sandals, launches into a
pagan incantation, soon joined in polyphony by two chorus singers. Like
Judith brandishing the head of Holopherne, the bald Primadonna raises a
hoe to the heavens and beats the blade with a piece of cut flint,
singing her frenetic chant all the while. Next, Mercedes Peon addresses
those present in her native Galician and picks up a gaita - the
bagpipes of her country - while the rest of the group sets up. An hour
later, after dedicating an encore to her mother, she withdraws to the
applause of the crowd. Since her first album came out in 2000, Mercedes
Peon has been the symbol of the renaissance of Galician folk music. " -
François-Xavier Gomez - LIBERATION
She
plays as she seems to be : with astounding generosity - a generosity
that she infuses into her gaita (Galician bagpipes), her tambourine and
above all her incredibly bewitching voice. Her repertoire forms around
those vocal chords blessed by the gods, in harmony with the equally
charming voices of her chorus singers. When these exceptional voices
come to the fore the audience bathes in happiness ; the voices combine
forcefully with the rhythm of the traditional Spanish and African
instruments. Certain moments are trance-like. This fusion between
machines and ancestral tunes is not a question of trend but of real
artistic desire. (...) Her chants, sometimes incantatory, sometimes
caressing, draw in and definitively seduce the listener. - Yannick
Delneste - SUD OUEST