Swedish vocals
International relevance: ***
I
didn't expect this to be anything but a disappointment after Lena
Ekman's first proper album: ”Hjulspår” is simply one of the best
yet-to-be-properly-discovered progg albums, at times a haunting LP
that beats Turid in her own game by a mile and gives Stenblomma a run for her money too. With three years apart
and a new label (Mistlur instead of Silence), ”Det beror på ögonen
som ser” was deemed to have lost something, or at least be
different enough to be a let down. Not that change is a bad thing,
but ”Hjulspår” is in a special league with qualities that are
hard to repeat, and even harder to follow up on a second album.
And no, it's not another ”Hjulspår”,
but do not repeat my mistake: ”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is
a very fine achievement. Ekman's slightly husky, mature voice is as
inviting as ever, and the songs are mostly very good. As a matter of
fact, it's hard to pick a weak one and much easier to choose a
favourite, which is the excellent ”Vänner ändå”. Almost all of
them are Ekman originals, but she manages to sneak in a cover of
Danish singer/songwriter Trille as first track. Name players such
Hasse Bruniusson, Marie Selander, Turid, Thomas Almqvist and, at the
top of the heap, Kjell Westling offer a very pleasing lowkey backdrop
that puts Ekman's appealing vocals in the sweet centre spot. The
album has a pronounced acoustic feel; a delicate setting for Ekman's
delicate songs.
”Det beror på ögonen som ser” is
definitely worth picking up by those into the singer/songwriter side
of progg, and it's good enough also for those who just happened to
have a love for well-crafted and subdued songs well-equipped for
playing at dusk.
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