Bringing together the distinguished trio of Swedish singer Josefine Cronholm, Swedish bass player Thommy Andersson, and Italian piano and bandoneón player Paolo Russo, this debut CD from ARC is an absolute feast for the ears. From the first bars of the gently lilting opener, ‘Skärgärdsö’, you immediately sense the impeccable craftmanship of the writing. Over 11 songs penned by the trio, the music making is uniquely intimate. Cronholm’s ‘Ikaros’ is heart stopping, the singer soaring ever higher in the concluding line as Paolo Russo plays a hypnotically repeating, folk-like motif over Thommy Anderson’s softly sustained pedal note. The finely wrought harmonies of the glacially paced ‘Stillheten Börjar’ call to mind the great Astor Piazzolla, while ‘Our Private Cloud’ is quietly and touchingly done. Recorded at The Village, Copenhagen – where all three musicians are based – and mixed by the legendary Norwegian sound engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug at Rainbow Studios in Oslo, the recording sounds terrific too.