Avital Raz is a vocal artist who travels across many genres.
Her songs may resemble old English lute songs, Indian Classical Ragas, Cabaret, Blues, Country music or Eastern-European Jewish melodies. A multi-cultured get-together of many strange characters, all rolled up into one quirky singer- songwriter.
She grew up in Jerusalem and trained in classical music as a vocalist and composer.
In her early twenties she moved to Benares, India to study Dhrupad - an ancient style of meditative Indian song- for six years. There she recorded an album based on James Joyce’s Chamber Music poem-cycle with the help of Indian instruments and musicians.
In 2008, Avital recorded Strange Love Songs, a six -song EP described by Dream Magazine as bewitchingly beautiful and seductively dark.
In the last two years Avital's performed Extensively in the UK and Berlin where she was based.
Recently, she moved to San Francisco where she'll be releasing her new album Infidelity later this year.
"A shimmering, dream-like collection containing six beautiful, enchanting and utterly compelling songs that demand attention." Terrascope Online, Simon Lewis (UK)
"This young female singer/songwriter from Israel has a superbly utilized crystal clear contralto voice, and writes bewitchingly beautiful, seductively dark melodic songs as well on this inaugural six-song EP. Her lyrics are eccentric and intriguingly original in their somewhat obliquely dramatic approach. The eclectic instrumentation blends acoustic and electric instrumentation to frame her considerable vocal skills. Featuring highly effective use of conventional instruments like banjo, guitars, bass, and drums with tanpura and bansuri." Dream magazine, George Parsons (USA)
"Shows spiritual and emotional strength, A recommended delicate document, sweet in character." Gerald Van Waes, Psychedelic Folk Magazine (Belgium)
"Hailing from Israel, being an acid folk enthusiast and a student of Indian music, this six track short EP actually displays many, many influences, and a sound more well-worked and strong than what seldom comes out of an entire orchestra." The Shadows Commence Webzine (Sweden)