Portrait

One of the best young singers to emerge from Greece, Melina Kana is also one of the most adventurous, and this compilation serves her well, showing several facets of her career, from being at the heart of the new Thessalonika sound of the '90s on "Alkoolika Stichakia" and "Na Valo Ta Metaksota" to working with Turkmenistani band Ashkabat on an album, three tracks of which appear here, with the fusion working better than anyone could expect. There's also her tribute to the great Lebanese singer, "Fairuz," which brings a modern sensibility to acoustic folk songs while leaving the melodic side intact. Most interesting, however, are her collaborations with innovative composer Stamos Semsis, which can range from lush synthesizer settings to unaccompanied vocal. Her low, almost husky voice is perfectly suited to the material, and never more so than on "Milo Gia Sena," from her pairing with Ashkabat, when the percussion, bagpipe, accordion, and fiddle create a rhythmic, stirring backdrop for her tones. The final five tracks have been culled from her guest singer appearances and as such don't show her talents as brightly, but still mark her as someone whose work deserves much greater attention and whose place as a shining star among Greek vocalists is already assured.