From Trnava, Slovakia, singer and arranger Ildikó Kali presents eight songs that tell stories based on myths, legends and folk mythology put into lyrical form by Ján Botto. With each track spanning 5-8 minutes, the music is relaxing and carefully cultivated as contemporary folk-pop with considerable emotional depth without sounding esoteric or anachronistic. Her musical vision entails the study of history and cultures to explore the harmony of life, balance and interconnectedness in songs like “Lucy’s Little Table” and “Myth of Turiec.”

Besides singing, Ildikó Kali plays baritone guitar and provides loops for guitar and ukulele. On Golden Maiden, other musicians joining her include Milan Tököly (guitar, bass, percussion programming) Stanislav Palúch (violin, mandolin) and Roman Kraic (guitar loops). The opening song, “Myth of Maginhrad (1)" includes Michal Fedor (drums), Peter Korman (bass) and Peter Luha (nylon guitar).

Ildikó Kali’s career on the Slovak indie music scene was born from a folk tale about a wolf woman (La Loba) who gathers the bones of wolf creatures and revives them with her strong singing. Heartfelt and soulful, she moves from quiet questioning whispers to stunning, unrestrained, wistful expressions. Spanning three tracks, her 20-minute “Legend Without End” trilogy is best listened to as three movements that explore Wandering, Searching and Dawning to fully appreciate and embrace the sonic experience that helped launch this album in early-April 2022 to #4 on The Roots Music Report's Top 50 World Album Chart.

Ildikó Kali’s music has been called a style of ethnic chanson, capturing elements of different ethnicities and informed by mythological stories, poems, legends and ballads. She was only 17 when she formed her first band, Nirvana, inspired by the book of Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. She currently performs solo or with the band Romanika.  Coming from a large musical family, many who perceived music intuitively, has allowed Ildikó Kali to have an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her work.

Golden Maiden is a magical, unforgettable, enchanting experience although it may have also been interesting to color some tracks with a few tastes of bagpipes, cimbalom, quarto or accordion. As an example, track two’s “Myth of Maginhrad (2)” illustrates the potential for more vocal and instrumental conversation as Ildikó Kali’s intoxicating voice converses with Stanislav Palúch’s jazzy violin and understated mandolin. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)