Fleur is Olga Pulatova (piano and vocals) and Elena Voynarovskaya (guitar and vocals) supported by lute, cello, double-bass, electric-guitar and digeridoo. Hailing from Odessa in the Ukraine, Fleur is positioned somewhere between neofolk, neoclassical, and, well, pop, sometimes bringing to mind the neoclassical Russian project Caprice which is also on the Prikosnovenie label.
Prikosnovenie - name of both album and record label - apparently means "soft touch" which is appropriate enough. The tunes, singing, musicianship and arrangement are all excellent, but none of those qualities would be of any avail without that intangible spark that makes the sum of the parts interesting and appealing.
This music is soft but not soggy. Sweet voices with a tinge of sadness, persistent rhythms, and good melodies ensure success and credibility. I hesitate to use the word pleasant as it might be interpreted as an attempt to damn with feint praise or irony but the album is just that. Even your grandmother will like it.

© RIK