GERGANA VELINOVA

FREE – A SOULFUL JOURNEY

Cellar Music

Gergana Vlinova, vocals/composer/lyricist; Kristian Alexandrov, piano/Fender Rhodes/B3 organ/vibes/percussion; Peter Slavov, Miles Hills, & Mojo Jones, bass; Cameron Wilson, violin. SAXOPHONES: Jon Bentley, Ryan Oliver & Cory Weeds. TRUMPETS: Vince Mai & Malcom Aiken. BACKGROUND VOICES: Shannon aye & Gord maxwell.

Gergana Velinova believes that a song’s real life begins when it quietly finds its way into the listener’s heart and becomes part of their story.  She writes and composes with that thought in mind.

Velinova combines Brazilian music with her Bulgarian/Canadian roots.  Her song lyrics tell vivid stories and her melodies are catchy. They inspire me to hum along. She often incorporates wordless scats or vocals rhythms, at times becoming a human horn. She has a gift. Her music is easily relatable.  She writes like a pop singer with relatable stories and ‘hooks’ that are appealing.

This album was composed over a five-year period that moved with determination through a COVID epidemic and the birth of her child.  She found herself writing for the bundle of joy asleep in her arms, and for her own sanity and creative well-being.

The album “Free” carries a double meaning. It reflects her own personal feelings of freedom, recently becoming a Canadian citizen in 2025, and becoming a new mom.  Freedom can lift the spirit and influence your movement through life. Clearly in this production Gergana Velinova displays her profound artistic talent.

You will hear ten original songs on this album, each one unwinding Velinova’s life like a spool of gold thread rolling across my listening room.  Her songs glisten in the light and sparkle with her composer skills.  The ensemble begins with the title tune, “Free.”  It sounds very Brazilian, her voice like windchimes soaring above the rhythm section. Jon Bentley’s saxophone takes an exquisite solo, putting the “J” into the word jazz.

She follows this joyful song with “Orange Moon,” a more laid-back tune. This is followed by a very popish composition with wonderful lyrics called “If You Knew.”  On the hook, she sings, “If you knew how I loved you, you would fly through the door to my heart … and drink from my lips, in small tasty sips, If you knew me.”   Then this vocalist returns to her Brazilian influence, using “La La” to sing a repeatable phrase.  The trumpeter, Malcolm Aiken, adds his a wonderful touch to the arrangement.

Gergana Velinova has an innocence to her tone and vocals.  The subject matter is positive and full of love. Cory Weeds adds a tenor saxophone blues feel to a song she’s titled, “Keep Walking.”  She can write the blues, but this vocalist is no blues singer. She has another blues on this project called “Something More.”   Violinist, Cameron Wilson joins the musicians on “A Lullaby to myself” sounding sweet and melancholy.

Gergana Velinova once again has tackled this project with platinum-certified producer and multi-instrumentalist, Kristian Alexandrov.  They have known each other since their teenaged years and are both Bulgarian.  They share a deep creative trust. Alexandrov’s expansive musicianship elevates this album richly. They close this album with a duet, Alexandrov on piano and Velinova’s vocals soaring like a wild bird with much emotion on “Come a Little Closer.”

Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil