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Rating: I always thought that adolescence was an age of transition. Although we all somewhat had the presumption of already knowing the world, I was aware that, in time, much of my convictions would fade (and that, perhaps, I would renounce some of them). Yes, much of it; because, sometimes, the ''past'' returns, not without leaving a sensation of pleasant wonder.
This is the case of this Swedish singer-songwriter who came, struck, and left, plunging back into the anonymity from which he had come. That melody, those violins, and that falsetto chorus had become a hit for me and, strangely, it didn't evoke in me that typical feeling of irritation a hit usually does... All the more reason to buy the album when, 7 years after that 1999, I found dear Andreas Johnson in a used CD store, for 3 euros in excellent condition. Without thinking too much, I bought the album, hoping that 45 minutes of my afternoon could make me relive a brief period of my adolescence.
I only need 3 (pardon me, it was not my intention to quote Negramaro): I insert ''Liebling'' (second of five albums), and immediately the heart-wrenching ''Glorious''' brings to mind memories that only a song can evoke.
Okay, enough with the sentimentality, it’s time to talk about the album. The next ''People'', an inexpressive and insignificant song, seems made on purpose to bring me back to earth; the disappointment is partly relieved by the second single ''The Games We Play'', a conventional, but pleasant acoustic ballad. Then, after the yawns caused by ''Do You Believe In Heaven'', the surprise: from the fifth track onwards, the album flows pleasantly, thanks to an unusual alternation of songs reminiscent of Mansun’s ''The Attack Of The Grey Lantern'' and ''Six'' (''Breathing'' and ''Spaceless''), nightclub atmospheres (a good choice using the muted trumpet in ''Should Have Been Me''), vaguely jazz incursions with ''Please (Do Me Right)'' and catchy pop ballads (''Patiently'').
This unsuspected parade closes with ''Safe From Harm'' (the best, in my opinion), and the acoustic ''Unbreakable''. A spot-on choice for the singles, the only two potentially more ''radio-friendly'' songs, but overall, it is a more than sufficient album, penalized only by a couple of songs not quite up to par (personal taste, of course), and by a voice that, while in some pieces conveys the idea of pathos well, in others appears like that of an out-of-context Liam Gallagher.
Considering the quality-price-emotions ratio, an excellent purchase.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Glorious (03:27)
Here she comes with a master plan
And I'm starting to loose control
Here she comes to this trash of man
And I'm ready to taste it all... when
She's bringing me in
Checking me out
Making me Glorious
Here she comes like a brand new day
Belly dancing across the room
In the moonlight I watch her sway
To her rhythm I'll go as groom... with grace... tonight...
She's bringing me in
Checking me out
Making me Glorious
Well
Here she comes
She's bringing me in
Checking me out
Making me Glorious
She's bringing me in
Turning me on
Making me Glorious
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