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”– Yet Smolander here sounds like a mature artist who knows very well what she wants, and who knows how to perfectly dose the different nuances of her voice and instrument. Characteristic for her artistry is how she controls and accurately plays off one of her trump cards on this album, the inspired interplay with a number of top musicians from Mali and Senegal, among others. The African element provides the necessary color and dynamism, but Smolander clearly keeps control and lets every note land where it sparkles most fervently. – With Cosmologies, Smolander shows a strong and personal artistic face.” Ronald Veerman, MixedWorldMusic.com, 12.4.2021, https://urly.fi/20uq
”The greatest achievement of Cosmologies is precisely the bringing of cultures together and the new musical features created by the ‘lucky accidents’ it causes. In them, northern drumming can face West African players on an equal footing, leaving room for the voices of other corners of the world.” Mika Roth, desibeli.com, 27.1.2021, https://urly.fi/1Vv0
”The debut album of kantele player and singer-songwriter Marjo Smolander is an interesting combination of different musical collaborations. The connecting thought is her singing and her personal songs, and you can feel musical ingredients both from her home region Carelia (the vocals sounding almost Värttinä-like) and from Africa, especially Mali and Senegal, where she has studied at several occasions.” Tove Djupsjöbacka, Finnish Music Quarterly, 5.2.2021, https://urly.fi/1VuY
”Music talks, it comforts, it communicates, it nourishes, and it does not care about boundaries or cultural differences. Marjo Smolander made an album that really warmed me up. A nice and hopeful album in difficult times. An absolute must.” Holly Moors, Moors Magazine, 14.12.2020, https://urly.fi/1VuZ
”Cosmologies connect both distant cultures and temporal layers. The Värttinä like Finnish traditional sound does not stay behind for the West African sound, but is the combining element of the record. Occasionally, the rhyme that changes from song to speech transforms from ancient spells to seamlessly reach the styles of modern rap lyrics. This folk music or the music of people’s has not collected dust, and the record has been made with open, wide eyes.– Great performance. ” Ari Vanha-Majamaa, Riffi 24.02.2021, https://urly.fi/1WPR
musician and music pedagogue from North Carelia Finland 