Playfully seductive

Mirja Mäkelä Trio’s My Hidden Joys is a beautifully crafted album which showcases both Mäkelä’s songwriting skills and her vocal prowess. Highlights include Nautin Salaa (My Hidden Joys), which Mäkelä renders playfully seductive without resorting to vocal affectations, and Kevättalvi, a scat performance which descends into ape-like chatter at one point – an adventurous passage that would be disastrous in the hands of a less capable singer.

Bassist Juho Kivivuori and guitarist Teemu Viinikainen weave rhythms and melodies that neither overwhelm nor sit politely in the background.