|
|
| 10 June 2005 |
|
| On her own terms - Review by Svein Andersen |
| Source : Aftenposten |
Confidence can do miracles, like liberating an artist's creative ability. Luckily, Lene Marlin has put trust in her artistic voice on 'Lost In A Moment'. The album has qualities that could be durable enough to be pleasing for many years.
The story about the creation of this record is a little sunshine tale from one of the toughest and most brutal industries that there are - the popularity industry.
The difference between happiness and perdition is often paper thin. Coupled with one own's pressure of achieving and other's expectations, these could quickly be inhuman variables having a relationship to. There are barely a more lonely place to be if you can't handle the pressure. This is totally independent of the reasons behind. In all sides of life, confidence and the feeling of control are important ingredients to be successful.
Therefore Lene Marlin's successful secrecy of the recording of 'Lost In A Moment' gets to be a good thing. Not least for the main person herself. This time she got the peace and confidence she needed. She got to be the head. Or, like she is saying in the press report: 'It was so fun in the studio!' You are most welcome.
Faces of love
At the same time, this gives a signal about this now being serious matter. This is the real Lene Marlin, the young girl whom in another time spellbound us, in a way is old Norwegian pop history. The debut album sold over 1.8 million copies in 1999. She became a world star.
Now she is 25 years of age. She is still the recognizable Lene Marlin, the girl with the sense of the melodic. Themewise, there are still the many faces of love that is the red thread. This have always been a melancholic vein in her songs, and it is still there. However, a somewhat more uplifting feeling has also crept in.
Still much of the music is acoustic in its foundation, with outbursts of more rhytmic guitar expressions. The single 'How Would It Be' is uniting these sides. Even though I have more sense of the transparency wariness that several of the songs possess, like in 'Hope You're Happy', with its effective little details. The warm cello tune is riding above the acoustic guitars, while an orgel is grumbling now and then in the bottom. 'What If', on the other hand, has the pushing vulneribility feeling that she is so good at doing catchy. The simplicity of the refrain is like a claw in the middle of the song. 'Leave My Mind' is such a low-voiced sneaker, that demands your attention. Longing and beautiful.
Feverish closeness
'Never To Know' is perhaps the album's most sinister melody. The cello has changed tone, while Marlin partly is singing with a feverish closeness in the voice. When 'It's True' is tuning out of the speakers with its piano tones, it is breaking the guitar based soundscape that is marking most of the songs as a welcome guest.
Her lighter voice gets to be an effective contrast to the clear sound of the piano. The feeling I'm left with after having listened to these songs, is some kind of world that is experienced with closed eyes. With closed eyes her world is opening itself one step extra, and for instance 'All I Can Say' is unfolding itself.
It is in the little snapshot details the song is getting its energy, it is releasing the message of closeness. There is a need for confidence to be exposing one's vulneribility. She has also thus entitled a song after just this: 'Eyes Closed'. These songs are not forced student's work, but created in delight and happiness. No matter how sad they are to be perceived by someone.
Translated by Tef Johs
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
