Album review: SONJA KRISTINA – Anthology

David Randall chatted to Sonja Kristina in May 2015 for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio for a two-part career overview.  Part 2 is available here

SONJA KRISTINA - Anthology

Curved Air Records [Release date 06.10.17] 2-CD

In a review several years ago I referred to Sonja Kristina as ‘The Helen Mirren of Rock”.  There are some similarities: the enigmatic aura, the theatricals and – to be frank – the sexuality.

This release is a first for Sonja – a compilation of her working life separate to her wider known success with Curved Air but several strands intermingle.  For example, Robert Norton and Paul Sax with whom she performed in Acid Folk in the 1990s reappear in the latter day Curved Air line-up and Norton has coordinated two new tracks that appear in this collection.  One of these is ‘Frank Mills’ a song from the Hair musical that brought her to a wider audience in 1968.  (The other is the Greg Lake song ‘C’est La Vie’).

The two disc compilation is not chronological but includes her earlier solo material after Curved Air’s ascendancy had run its course by 1976.  It includes half of her self-titled solo debut in 1980, with definite post-punk stylings, and most of ‘Songs From The Acid Folk’ (1991) which was a progressive/psychedelia/folk hybrid.  The follow up ‘Harmonics Of Love’ (1994) erroneously referred to in the liner as ‘Cloud 10′ is also represented and points the way to her later chilled-out sorties with Marvin Ayres.

By her own admission Sonja was house-bound for much of the eighties whilst partner Stewart Copeland found world success with The Police.  During that period she recorded a version of Carl Orff’s ‘O Fortuna’ with Darryl Way which was originally released on a now very rare 12″ single (the B-side of ‘Walk On By’) but included here.

Sonja has curated this release and made the selections but strangely one of her best tracks, ‘Colder Than A Rose’ – originally on both her debut solo album and ‘Acid Folk’ and later recorded with Curved Air -  is excluded.  Also missing is a fine cover of Spirit’s ‘Mr Skin’ which featured on the 1980 debut.

So, with one or two exceptions, the bulk of the material has been issued previously  (the acoustic take on Lemmy’s ‘I Don’t Believe A Word’ was included on the original reissue of ‘Harmonics Of Love’ on Market Square) and collectors may have preferred to hear the original soundtrack version of ‘Frank Mills’ which featured her lead vocal.  Nevertheless,  it is a good way of getting acquainted with Sonja’s music and muse since the 1970′s.

Her vocals have more latterly taken on a jazzier, introspective hue with a fragility similar to latter-day Marianne Faithfull.  But for those of a certain age she will always be the poster girl for female-fronted rock in the 1970s and, for a moment in time, we all wished we were ‘Frank Mills’.  ****

Review by David Randall

David Randall presents ‘Assume The Position’ on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio every Sunday at 22:00 GMT.

Archive review (Sonja Kristina, 2006)
Archive review (Harmonics Of Love, 2010)


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 5 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 18 March 2024

GYPSY’S KISS We’ve Come To Play
FM Out Of The Blue (Frontiers)
SHOTGUN MISTRESS Shot Down (indie)
ATTIC THEORY Violent Delight (indie)
FLOYA Yume (FiXT)
SAHAJI Tell Me All Your Feelings (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 18 March 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 LEAVES’ EYES Myths Of Fate (AFM Records)
14:00-16:00 HOLLY LERSKI Sweet Decline (indie)


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply