Barzin Hosseini is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his slow wistful songs. His music drifts in shades of blue and shimmers through sensual tones of violet. The quiet heartbreak of Barzin’s newest release Notes To An Absent Lover is a deep blue soliloquy to oneself. It is also for those who will listen and can find a communion in the solace of sadness. Not everyone can write an album that is such a significant journey of a broken heart and have it sound so picturesque. My first thoughts upon listening to this album were that I wanted to be sitting in front of a warm and toasty fireplace with a glass of red wine. Then I would let myself be enchanted by the languid and alluring music. There’s almost a hypnotizing effect that comes from such eloquent sound and lyrics.
The first track on the album “Nobody Told Me,” talks about trying to get over a lost love and the lyrics sung in the chorus are; “Nobody told me forgetting could be so hard.” Those words have such a sad, hard truth to them and put into song they become quietly beautiful. On the next track “Words Tangled in Blue,” Barzin sings, “Who should I call?” I think most can relate to this sentiment. After a breakup you might sit and wonder “who am I going to share my excitement with? My sadness? What about the funny situations that happen in life and all the other little things? Who should I call to tell about my life now that the one I loved is gone?” Another track that stood out on this album is “When It Falls Apart.” You really feel and hear the melancholy torture of oneself, when for some odd reason we are grasping at straws to hold onto a memory of what was. You return to the scene of your past love to find that it just isn’t there anymore. Continuing in that theme is the song “Look What Love Has Turned Us Into.” It states plainly, “Lovers are strangers and we are too, look what love has turned us into.” This album is a journey through the sadness of losing love and it is something that only time can heal. Musically and lyrically Notes To An Absent Lover is a great expression of emotion and spirit. It truly shows the melancholy reality of love and loss. The album has almost a dreamlike quality to it; maybe just a tad too sad, but all in all a really great album.
Notes To An Absent Lover is Barzin’s third full length CD. What started out in 1995 as a solo project has in current years brought in a revolving cast of musicians. On this current album Marshal Bureau, Robbie Grunwald, Nick Zubeck, and Darren Wall bring different layers of sound and concept to the table where their talent helps the album to shine.
