Allsång på Skansen 2016: Week 1, Tuesday 28th June 2016

It's not summer without it - and even if the rain was hammering off the windows as I sat and watched the show in my living room yesterday, Allsång på Skansen always brings a taste of the Swedish summer for all of us who live outside Sweden.

Broadcast by SVT since 1979, the show has had six presenters in that time - including four different presenters in the last 6 years.  After Anders Lundin departed the show in 2010, Måns Zelmerlöw hosted for three years followed by a two-year stint for Petra Marklund (pictured above).  I felt that Petra was unfairly criticised during her presentation run in 2014 and 2015, as she tried to take the show in a new direction, however in hindsight I now feel that she may not have been the right 'fit' for the show.  I say this because as the years go on, Allsång increasingly appears a remnant of a past which no longer exists, so there is a need for a more 'traditional' presenter who will build a bridge between the folk-song singalongs, appearances by Swedish music royalty and up-and-coming pop acts.

On the final show of the 2015 series, Petra announced live on TV that she was quitting as presenter. The rumours began immediately regarding her replacement and SVT moved very quickly to sign up Sanna Nielsen, who had been a revelation as Melodifestivalen 2015 presenter. I was never really a Sanna fan up until that time - I always thought she was a bit of an 'ice queen' but the ice melted during that Melfest run and I realised that I was very wrong.  Sanna (pictured below) is actually a likeable presenter and her smile lights up the room - or in this instance, the Solliden stage.

On the evidence of the first week of 2016 season, they've made the right choice.  Sanna is likely to appeal to the 'traditionalists' whilst she's still young enough to appeal to the younger viewers.  Oh, and she can sing a bit as well.....which helps when you're presenting Allsang, doesn't it :)  There's also a new opening title sequence which is more "folky" than Måns and Petra's opening title sequences. Certainly a nod to the traditionalists there.  Thankfully they have ditched the cringeworthy artists' introduction song which was introduced during Petra's time on the show.

The first show of this year's series played it pretty safe.  There was the mix of the old (Benny Anderssons Orkester (featuring Tommy Körberg and Helen Sjöholm), and Kalle Moraeus, along with the new - Miriam Bryant (pictured above), one of Sweden's hottest/coolest pop stars, and major breakout star of last year's Så Mycket Bättre.

Like all the other Swedish summer music shows - Lotta på Liseberg and Sommarkrysset - Allsång relies on the current year's Melodifestivalen contestants to boost the guest list.  The first show gave us this year's Melfest winner, Frans (pictured above with Sanna) rewound to 10 years ago with a rendition of the song which first made him famous at just 7 years old: his tribute song to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, "Who's Da Man".  All together now, "Ingen kickar fotboll som han...."

It was a strong and solid start for the show.  I'm looking forward to this Tuesday's show where Oscar Zia and one of this blog's long-time favourites Daniel Adams-Ray will be among the guests.

(All pictures above courtesy of SVT)

Allsång 2016: the stage is....

...Orup's! Yes, one of my all-time favourite Swedish artists has been selected for the "Allsångsscenen är din" show on 19.07.2016.

This will be the 5th year that there will be an hour-long concert following the end of that week's "Allsång på Skansen" show in Stockholm, and it will be broadcast on SVT as usual. Orup follows in the footsteps of Tomas Ledin, Håkan Hellström, Laleh and Alcazar who have all featured on the show in recent years, and who have presented very memorable shows.

Orup has had a lot of success with his stage show "Viva La Pop" which he presented in Stockholm and Gothenburg over the past year so we can expect all the hits and more from a career spanning almost 30 years. As usual with this type of show, expect some special guest artists. (Can we have a GES reunion? Or at least Lena PH?)

We are just over 2 weeks away from the beginning of Allsång season 2016, which will be presented this year by Sanna Nielsen.  (OK so does this meant that faithful travelling companion will finally be interested in watching Allsång with me then??  #shallowalert) No news on this year's guest list but I'll be watching the Swedish tabloids over the next week or so as I guess this information is imminent.

Summer rewind 2015: the (All)sång remains the same....or does it?

Petra Marklund's second year as host of SVT's great summer tradition didn't start well.  The last thing an outdoor show needs is bad weather, and the series premiered in a dull, grey, rainy, overcast Stockholm, the opposite of what we expect from Allsång: the beautiful Stockholm landscape bathed in evening sunshine. 

Something which has been creeping into the show over recent years is the inclusion of ever more 'VIPs' and celebs in the audience.  This went to ridiculous lengths in week 1 as the Swedish prime minister turned up with another fellow minister.  But no matter who you are, the weather does not differentiate.  So the PM and his government chum had to don their Skansen cagoules too...

The politicians' appearance attracted a lot of criticism with many online comments that SVT seems to care more about who's in the audience than who's appearing on stage.  Maybe it was just the weather, but week 1 fell flat, despite the efforts of the much-loved Hasse Andersson, this year's (other) big Melodifestivalen success story.Anyway we had the usual 'understated' performance from Carola (although it was worth mentioning for eagle-eyed fans of my other - mainly dormant these days - blog, Planet Salem, that Adam Hagstrand, Salem's former guitarist in his touring band, was in Carola's backing band). 

One new innovation we could have done without during this series: Petra singing her introduction of the artists to the tune of "Stockholm i mitt hjärta<. No, no, a thousand times no. It's not even acceptably cheesy, just cringeworthy.

Week 2 brought the triumphant return to Skansen of a certain ex-Allsång presenter who just happened to win this year's Eurovision Song Contest, but the Swedish press was just full of Norlie and KKV's "F word" controversy.  Meanwhile Tomas Ledin was back - now you all know that he's one of my all-time fave Swedish singers but if I'm honest his material of recent years doesn't come close to his classic songs.  "Livs levande" is certainly no "En del av mitt hjarta". 

In week 3 we had Isa, who had her breakthrough in this year's Melfest and I could predict her returning to Melfest and even representing Sweden at ESC in the next couple of years.  She is a very professional young performer.  The highlight of week 3 for me was Danny Saucedo performing the excellent "Brinner i Bröstet".  Like a lot of other Swedish stars, Danny has gone down the native-language route with his latest material.  He is such a star - I wonder if we will ever see him back at Melfest again? Talking of Melfest, Magnus Carlsson was rejuvenated by making the final this year and I enjoyed his energetic performance of "Gamla Stan" in week 3.

Week 4 was all about the summer hits.  Zara Larsson's "Lush Life" - a song with massive international hit appeal - has been judged the 'hit of the summer' in Sweden while "Fan Va Bra" by Jakob Karlberg has also been a big summer hit although if I'm honest it has a whiff of the 'one-hit-wonder' for me....unlike Darin (above), who has established a brilliant career which has completely been reinvented with his Swedish-language material. He performed the gorgeous "Ta Mig Tillbaka", (a song which always managed to bring me much-needed calm during my horrible summer) and its fine follow-up "Juliet".  And on a completely shallow note, isn't he just getting better and better-looking?????

Week 5 brought us the return of the rain, see-through raincoats and Ulrik Munther.  Just like Danny and Darin, he's turned his back on English-language music in favour of Swedish.  He performed "Nån gång", which I found a disappointing and irritating song. He still retains the youthful look but at least he doesn't look as if he should be in Junior Eurovision any more.  Dinah Nah's "Make Me (La La La)" was one of those songs which I've played a lot since Melfest and I think we can confidently say we'll see her back there next year, if only to prolong her 15 minutes of fame.  I'm pretty confident we'll also see Ida Lafontaine at a future Melfest too.

Not much to say about week 6 apart from Alcazar, who were also this year's chosen artists for the Allsångsscenen är din" special which directly followed the show. The 'Zar didn't disappoint, the show was packed with energy, discotastic fabulousness and all the hits and more .  A major highlight was a particularly memorable duet of "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" by Andreas and special guestPeter Jöback.  Alcazar really did put on an entertaining show. I missed week 7 but did manage to catch the Four Seasons medley on YouTube performed by the Swedish cast of Jersey Boys, including David Lindgren and Bruno Mitsogiannis (again, I can imagine either or both of them in a future Melfest).

On 11th August, the final episode of this year's series was a very grand occasion, to commemorate 80 years of the Allsång tradition at Skansen, with a spectacular backing group - no less than the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.  Lena Philipsson was among the artists with her new song "Jag är ingen älskling".  A big finale then, with a big surprise.  For no-one was expecting that big announcement from Petra Marklund (above) that she was quitting the show after just two series to concentrate on her own solo music career.  An emotional farewell, one final dramatic performance of Kent's "Musik Non Stop" and then she was gone.

Presumably to avoid a whole summer, autumn, winter and spring of speculation in the Swedish tabloids over who the new host will be, SVT moved quickly to announce that Sanna Nielsen will present the 2016 series.  She gained good experience co-presenting Melodifestivalen 2015 with Robin Paulsson, where she emerged as a professional and fun presenter; if she can reach out to the public at Skansen as well as the TV viewers then SVT will have done the right thing appointing her as Petra's replacement.  But I'm sure the Swedish media will have lots to say, as always, when next July comes around....

Lisa Ajax is Sweden's new Idol

(picture courtesy of www.sydsvenskan.se)

The 10th series of Swedish Idol ended on Friday night with Lisa Ajax beating Mollie Lindén in the final.  I tried and failed to watch the live stream, with added (and irritating/unnecessary) English language live commentary which if I remember correctly, was introduced last year.  Lisa is the youngest ever Idol winner in Sweden and succeeds last year's winner, Swedish Premiership footballer Kevin Walker.

For various reasons, give or take the odd clip I've completely missed this series of Idol, so I'm not qualified to comment on whether the 16 year old deserved to win or not: at the beginning of the contest I thought Matilda Gratte was a cert to win so didn't have a clue how it would all end following her shock departure.

(picture courtesy of Chic.se)

One very obvious thing about Idol in 2014 was that it was all about the girls: with few strong male contestants it was no surprise that it would be an all-female final between Lisa and Mollie, pictured above.

Something has changed from previous years: the winner no longer gets a recording contract with the rush-released covers album: instead there will be a tour and the release of an EP including the winner's song "Unbelievable" which was co-written by former Fame Factory and Melodifestivalen contestant Jimmy Jansson.  For me, there's nothing particularly spectacular (or indeed unbelievable-lievable-lievable!) about the mid-tempo ballad, however Lisa's voice certainly has a maturity beyond her years.  I can't see a long career for her though: I'm guessing that she'll be pitched as a similar type of artist to the hugely popular Zara Larsson, but I can't really see Lisa emulating her success.  Good luck to her though.

There will be an 11th series next year: no doubt, as usual we can expect a lot of speculation from the Swedish tabloids about whether the judging line-up of Anders Bagge, Laila Bagge and Alexander Bard will return.

Swedish Idol 2014: the finalists

I was so caught up in pre-holiday preparation, followed by a fantastic holiday (diary to follow shortly!) and completely forgot that the latest series of Swedish Idol is on the way.  The elimination process is over, and the final 12 finalists are now known.  I haven't seen or heard any of their performances yet so don't know anything about this year's contestant but I'm sure we will become very familiar with them over the coming weeks.

The finalists:

Fanny De Aguiar, Lisa Ajax, Mollie Lindén, Niklas Musco, Petter Hedström, Philip Spångberg, Rolf Öhlén, Twyla Lidén, Charlie Diar, Matilda Gratte, Josefine Myrberg, Ludvig Turner.

Who will succeed Kevin Walker in the 10th edition of the contest? Answers to follow!

The Nästa big thing?

Admit it, even Eurovision obsessives need a little break from the ever-expanding song contest season.  But we're in August now and the withdrawal symptoms are starting to grow and grow.
After weeks of speculation, Vienna was chosen last week as the venue for the next Eurovision Song Contest, so it's time to get into ESC mode once again.  After all, it's only just over 9 months away!

So here's something to keep us going for a little while.  A few days ago Swedish radio announced the line-up of finalists in its national Svensktoppen Nästa competition.  The winner of this contest gets an automatic pass into Melodifestivalen.  Now I've never been too excited about this contest before, as it's never really made much of a mark on Melfest.  In 2014 however it brought us the band EKO with "Red" which still remains my favourite of this year's Melfest songs, so I'm a lot more interested now than I used to be.

You can find all the songs from this year's finalists in full at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=3147&artikel=5932383 to hear them for yourself but here are my thoughts after just one listen to each song.

"Bells and Whistles" - Bullock Hearts
I wasn't initially sure if I would be in the moo-d (groan) for this particularly upbeat and jaunty song, but the chorus stayed in my brain for a while.  It mixes a little bit of Sebalter-style whistling with some Kika/Rongedal influences.  The problem with this song on first hearing is that the verses are rather forgettable.

"If Forever Means Forever" - Stephanie Quinth
This initially sounds like someone who's been listening to too many Ellie Goulding songs.  There's a pulsating electronic backbeat, and just as the song threatens to burst into a big old pop chorus, it stops very short and leaves us without a hookline.

"Ways Of Growing Old" - Last Trees
And now onto a pleasant but ultimately unexciting acoustic song which doesn't really go anywhere. Sorry but I don't really have too much else to say about this one.

"Den Där Dan" - Kalle Johansson
Yippee!  At last something in Swedish.  Not only that, but this has radio hit written all over it.  Of course that doesn't mean that it's a Melodifestivalen winner, but it's the best and most commercial of the songs I've heard so far in this competition and would be an asset to the final line-up.

"Living By The Gun" - Flat Foot
This is a little bit country, a little bit rock, with a "run Johnny run" chorus.  It's not bad but it's not great either.  It's just..there.

"Alive" - Elsa Martinsson
This one's yet another example of the pop songs which the Swedes churn out in their sleep.  This promises a lot but like Stephanie's song earlier, it is missing a killer chorus which would massively improve the song.

"Honung" - Morgan Färm
I didn't really like this to begin with, but it's got that little retro-feel to it and it's quite nice.  Wiwi Bloggs has pointed out the slight similarity in the chorus to "In And Out Of Love" which I also noticed too.  It's a pleasant and easy-going pop song, and there's more whistling.  Whistling, it would appear, is the new black.

"When The Blackbirds Sing" - Rebecca Fredriksson
Birds. Songbird.  And now When The Blackbirds Sing.  The avian-related theme continues.  This is quite similar in low-key style to "Songbird" and the public seem to go for that style now, so this is in with a strong chance.  No whistling though, despite the bird-theme.

After hearing all the songs, it's Kalle's Swedish-language song which floated my boat, however it will ultimately be a mix of public and jury votes to determine the winner at the final on Sunday 31st October.  Good luck to all the contestants!

Allsång på Skansen: the 2014 line-up is revealed!

Only two weeks to go, and then it all starts again for another year.  I refer of course to that most traditional of Swedish summer TV treats, "Allsång på Skansen" which had its equally traditional 'big reveal' of this year's line-up.  As usual, it's a mix of something for everyone, from the well-known established stars of years ago, to this year's up-and-coming stars with teen appeal. So who can we look forward to seeing on Tuesday nights on SVT this summer?

Week 1: Tuesday 24th June: Ace Wilder, Niklas Strömstedt and Eric Bazilian, Malena Ernman and Loa Falkman, James Blunt. 
I'll be "busy doing something" two weeks from tonight to check out Melodifestivalen runner-up Ace Wilder.  But James Blunt?  One question - why??

Week 2: Tuesday 1st July:  Nina Persson, Sanna Nielsen, Gunhild Carling, Seinabo Sey, Jany Schella.
I might just draw faithful travelling companion's attention to this one, as he's recently become a fan of a certain Ms Nielsen and it doesn't look as if he's going to "undo" that appreciation any time soon :)

Week 3: Tuesday 8th July: Elisa's, The Fooo, Björn Skifs, Linda Pira, Jon Henrik Fjällgren.
Earplugs at the ready as there will be a massive screaming outbreak for the Fooo, Sweden's answer to One Direction, but I'm tuning in for Mr Skifs. 

Week 4: Tuesday 15th July: Laleh, Jill Johnson and Doug Seegers, Annika Herlitz, The Real Group, Ison and Fille.
Not really too bothered about this one, I do like a couple of Laleh songs ("Some Die Young" and "Colors") but wouldn't really call myself a fan. 

Week 5: Tuesday 22nd July: Electric Banana Band, Darin, Titiyo, Vera Nord.
Week 5....it's all about Darin!

Week 6: Tuesday 29th July: Weeping Willows, Ola Salo, Alcazar, Panetoz, Stefan Nilsson, Anna Stadling and Lidingö Motettkör
Very strong line-up in week 6 - a certain Mr Salo and a disco-tastic trio.

Week 7: Tuesday 5th August: Takida, Orup, Linnea Henriksson, Timbuktu, John de Sohn
For me this is potentially one of the best weeks.  Looking forward to Orup, Linnea and Takida. 

Week 8: Tuesday 12th August:  Jenny Wilson, Icona Pop, John Martin, Lise and Gertrud.
John Martin will be the highlight for me in week 8.

Of course there will be more acts announced, but where's Conchita Wurst?  I thought they might have included this year's ESC winner in the line-up - or even Basim, who's had the big airplay hit in Sweden this year.  I just wonder if they're keeping us guessing before adding one, or both, to the line-up?

The other burning question is - how will Petra Marklund do as the new host of the show?  Well, firstly I would just like to say that I hope she is judged not for her gender (she is the first female host in the show's history) but on her own merits as a singer, presenter and entertainer: the three essential qualities for an Allsång host.  I also hope that she is given time to adjust to her new role in what is one of Swedish TV's toughest jobs, as the unforgiving critics in the Swedish media are always ready for target practice every Allsång season.  Get it wrong, and the tabloids will hound you, week after week....get it right, and, well, they may just praise you (if you're lucky!)  I hope that Petra does well and I wish her lots of success with the 2014 season of Allsång.

Sommarkrysset 2014: the guest list

Summer is coming!  And how do we know that?  Because it will soon be time for SVT and TV4's summer music shows in Sweden.  Today TV4 published the list of artists who will be appearing in this year's series of Sommarkrysset, the Saturday night entertainment show.  Unfortunately in recent years TV4 has not allowed viewers outside Sweden to watch the show on their website :( however if you are lucky enough to pick up the show there will be the usual mix of old and new stars, and no surprise to see a few Melodifestivalen 2014 artists in there.

21 June: Oscar Zia, Lisa Stansfield, Doug Seegers
28 June: Anders Wendin, Stefan Sundström.
5 July: Charlotte Perrelli, Ebbot Lundberg, Vance Joy.
12 July: Yohio, Brolle and Andreas Johnson, Foxes.
19 July: Helena Paparizou, Linus Svenning, Kim Cesarion.
26 July: Martin Stenmarck, Nisse Hellberg.
2 Aug: Anton Ewald and Medina, Elisa Lindström.
9 Aug: Panetoz,
16 aug: Alcazar, Electric Banana Band.
23 aug: Ace Wilder, NONONO, John Martin

Who cares about the Brits, when you've got the Swedish Grammis?

Two awards shows taking place on the same evening: one from a country once celebrated and renowned for musical innovation and now scraping the barrel with fly-by-night winners who will probably be forgotten about 12 months from now...

...and the other from a small country with a never-ending pool of musical talent and diversity.  You can't really measure that by Swedish award shows of course, which remain under Mr Hellström's spell; however while we got James Corden (is there no beginning to the man's talents?) Sweden got Ray Cokes.  Yes, the legendary Ray Cokes, Mr 'Most Wanted' himself. 

Oh, and my all-time favourite Swedish artist, Salem Al Fakir, got an award for best composer.  And even if all my other favourites didn't win, things are still always better in Sweden. 

Tonight's winners:

Årets rock: Håkan Hellström

Årets elektro/dans: Icona Pop

Årets låt: Håkan Hellström – ”Det kommer aldrig va över för mig”

Årets hårdrock/metal: Ghost

Årets textförfattare: Håkan Hellström

Årets artist: Avicii

Årets pop: Veronica Maggio

Årets hederspristagare: Sven-Bertil Taube

Årets album: Jenny Wilson – ”Demand the impossible”

Årets video: Jenny Wilson och Daniel Wirtberg ”Autobiography”

Årets klassiska: Karin Rehnqvist

Årets producent: Jenny Wilson

Årets barnalbum: Jazzoo

Årets hiphop/soul: Stor

Årets dansband: Elisa's

Årets innovatör: The Fooo
Årets jazz: Tonbruket
Årets nykomling: Linda Pira

Årets kompositör: Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare och Magnus Lidehäll

Årets folkmusik/visa: Tomas Ledin

Kevin Walker is Sweden's new Idol.

The final of Swedish Idol took place last Friday night at Globen in Stockholm.  And an unexpected bonus for us: TV4 letting all of us outside Sweden watch the live broadcast.  And if that's not enough, English language commentary!

So far so good.  However, the reality was somewhat different.  The stream was consistent but blurry, and the sound mix between the Swedish language TV broadcast and the English language commentary by Greg Poehler meant that the two languages were merging into each other most of the time, thus you couldn't actually hear any of it, apart from the ad breaks when Mr Poehler and his long-suffering Swedish sidekick, reminiscent of those side-by-side American sports commentators, finally had the chance to be heard.  On with the show!

above: this year's Idol contestants - minus Kevin or Elin. 

I had managed to persuade mum to watch the final with me, after giving her a short recap of the 2013 contest.  The final was opened by a musical performance by this year's Idol contestants, minus finalists Kevin and Elin.  Then it was on to the individual performances.

Kevin: "Where The Streets Have No Name".
I had criticised Kevin over recent weeks for his safe, perma-grinning, easy-listening renditions.  So it was a pleasant surprise to hear him tackling something more rocky, and even more surprisingly, managing to hold it together for the full length of the song.

Elin: "Raise Your Glass".
Elin also managed to raise her game on her first song, backed by an army of dancers. 

Mum: Is Elin Bergman related to Ingrid Bergman?
L: No! 
M: Kevin should walk it.
L: Oh ha ha. 

The next duel featured Kevin and Elin's most popular songs of the series.

Kevin: "Say". 
A very safe version of the John Mayer song, which Kevin performed well enough and it wasn't too taxing.
M: This is a very repetitive song.  How often can someone sing 'say what you need to say'?

Elin: "Happyland".
M: Elin, wearing what could only be described as a hedge.  It's like one of those camouflage things where people have tree branches sticking out of their hats.

We spend the remainder of the song wondering just what Elin has done to offend the stylists this time.  I tell mum that her styling has been horrific over the series but this beats all. 
L: This is an Amanda Jenssen song, but she's not a patch on Amanda Jenssen. 

Mum also had a chuckle at "Admiral" Anders Bagge's costume.  I also had to explain to her that Alexander Bard's outfit was actually subdued by his standards...

More ads, more wit by Mr Poehler.  This evening's interval act is none other than Mr Robbie Williams.  Of course you would have to live on Mars to have escaped Robbie's ubiquitousness over the last couple of weeks, as he has an album to plug. 

Poehler: "Has Robbie Williams' career fallen so low to appear on this show?"  Mr Poehler then went on to make a comment about Robbie's weight.
M: You are far too sarcastic, Mr Commentator!

above: Robbie shows what he thinks of Greg Poehler's remarks.

The final task of the evening was for both contestants to have a bash at the winning song.  Prior to the final, the tabloids were reporting the finalists' disenchantment with "Belong", apparently a difficult song to sing. 

So, firstly Kevin had a go.  "Belong" is quite an uptempo-ish thing, anthemic and dancey, and clearly influenced by Avicii.  All good.  A nice change from the 'here I am standing here today' sickly winner's ballad. 

M: Not much of a song is it?
L: I don't know, it's a nice uptempo change from the usual "here I am" ballad.  This is "here I am" with beats.

In this final we were clearly on "Team Kevin" (whilst I continued to rant and rave that 'it should have been Erik') and Elin's take on "Belong" didn't do anything to change our minds. 

L: Oh, my ears.
M: That's awful.  He has melody.  She doesn't. 

Mum has also been won over by Kevin's winning smile and charisma, which has come a long way during this year's competition, even if he didn't always have the vocals to match.  I've criticised Kevin over recent weeks for being a bit too safe, but credit to him in the final for pulling off two different musical styles - rock and dance-pop - when it mattered. 

Fast-forward to the results show, which unlike our own results shows in this country, didn't overstay its welcome.  I thought it was a nice touch as each of the finalists passed on the result before it was announced.  And the winner is.....Kevin!  Yes, it may have been one of the biggest foregone conclusions in talent show history, but it's now official - Kevin Walker is Sweden's new idol. 

Now, Kevin has to decide where his main priorities lie - on the football field or the pop charts?  I reckon he should go back to football, after making the usual winner's album.  For Kevin has been the ultimate 'novelty act' - the "singing footballer" and it's all been about the back story, which has been a gift to the tabloid journalists throughout the series.  Pop fame is fleeting, and longevity as an artist, in a packed music business is another thing entirely.

The big news is that Idol will be back in 2014: which proves that you can't keep a good show down. 

 

Swedish Idol 2013: Semi-Final, 29.11.13

Just a quick review of last week's semi-final as I've been very busy this week and haven't had time to post.  Of course, the final will take place tomorrow night and in a very rare occurrence, TV4 will allow viewers outside Sweden to watch the final - even complete with English language commentary!  More here: http://www.tv4.se/idol/artiklar/comedian-greg-poehler-will-comment-on-the-swedish-idol-finale-live-on-tv4play-52a0ae66c459481e51000025

Three semi-finalists and two themes this week: audition songs and number ones. 

Kevin: "Soldier" (original artist Gavin DeGraw)

Kevin is one very smart young man: he always finds the perfect songs for his pleasant voice with its limited vocal range, and this was one of his best performances. 

Erik: "Too Close" (original artist Alex Clare)

A change of hairstyle but no change in the high quality of his vocal performance. 

Elin: "Spoiled" (original artist Joss Stone)

Quite a change to see her standing still and focusing on the vocals for once, which is an improvement.  There are still a few dodgy notes which by now seem to be her trademark.

Kevin: "Home" (original artist Daughtry)

The lyrics may say "I'm Going Home" but Walker-mania ensured that he wouldn't be going home for another week.  He has found his niche and knows his audience. 

Erik: "When I Was Your Man" (original artist Bruno Mars)

Now, where would a talent show be without a bit of Bruno Mars, eh?  A lovely, restrained, almost jazzy performance of this song.

Elin: "What You Waiting For" (original artist Gwen Stefani)

Not really much to say apart from Elin giving it the usual attitude, but her vocals were yet again all over the place and there is only so much covering up with the moves/performance that she can do.  What the hell do I know, I'm a long way from that 'demographic' which she is tapping into, but for me she has neither the talent nor special charisma to win a contest like this.

So, one contestant had to go and it was Erik.  That was a real shock to me.  An Erik/Kevin final would have made for a closer and more exciting contest, whereas it now looks like a formality for Kevin to win.  I don't particularly care now who wins it: win or lose, Kevin will have a limited career as a recording artist thanks to his day-job as a footballer, whilst I can't see Elin doing much better.  All will be revealed tomorrow when we will learn who joins the Swedish Idol-winning roll of honour. 

By the way, the original song from a couple of weeks ago, Erik's "Wild" is already picking up lots of Swedish radio airplay.  I still think Erik is the real winner of this year's series and could go on to become very successful.

(All photos courtesy of www.aftonbladet.se)

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 9 - 22.11.2013

Not one but two themes this week for the four remaining contestants: original songs and jury's choice.  The first part is a great idea - songwriting collaborations between the contestants and established Swedish songwriters (although if certain tabloid reports were to be believed, the contestants' involvement in the songs may not have been as extensive as originally suggested). However, it gives a more accurate glimpse into how the contestants may develop as artists, outwith the talent-karaoke format.  

Jens: "Killing Me" (co-written with Tony Nilsson)

Tony Nilsson is of course pop royalty in Sweden and in the hands of another artist, say, Darin or Danny, this song would have been an uptempo electro-dance stomper.  With Jens, this didn't work for me and his voice grated on the chorus.  He is more at home on grittier numbers and this one was clearly a very bad choice and probably sealed his fate.

Kevin Walker: "Dreaming" (co-written with Thomas G:son and Peter Boström)

When I saw those names = *SONG CONTEST ENTRY KLAXON*

Either that or an Idol winner's song perhaps?  Kevin had serious vocal wobbles on the low notes but he nailed that vital high note towards the end of the song which curiously lacked the required key change.  This song was a good fit for his style though, and will no doubt turn up on his album of granny-friendly tunes :)

Erik: "Wild" (co-written with Oscar Holter)

This was my favourite of the night, and a perfect fit for Erik's cool persona.  Like a Swedish distant cousin of Hurts.  I liked this this soulful electro number the minute I heard it, and I hope it gets a release at some point as it has 'hit' written all over it. 

Elin: "The Fire" (co-written with Jakke Erixson)

A catchy and commercial reggae-flavoured number, however as with many of her other performances, showed up her vocal limitations. 

Jens: "Flicka Med Guld" (original artist Thåström)

A very good match for his voice, which just shows up how wrong the original song choice was. 

Kevin: "Free Fallin'" (original artist Tom Petty)

Didn't he sing this earlier on in the competition?  Or did someone else?  It always turns up in Idol of course, and this week Kevin blandly grinned his way through a Kevinized version of the song.  In the infamous words of Simon Cowell, "distinctly average" is the best way to describe the singing footballer.

Erik: "If You Go Away" (original artist Jacques Brel)

An often-covered classic, which Erik completely brought up to date.  This was a vocally impeccable performance which made Alexander Bard cry.  Awww!

Elin: "Roar" (original artist Katy Perry)

Something very current, but as with Jens earlier, the rough and ready vocals were pretty painful in places. 

Bottom two time!  Jens and Kevin.  Jens goes home, and Kevin is saved yet again. Is Sweden having a laugh here? 

Above: Elin, Erik and Kevin celebrate.

I seriously hope that Erik wins the whole thing now.  With three contestants remaining, he's about the best prospect as a recording artist that the contest has left. 

(All pictures courtesy of Aftonbladet)

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 8 - 15.11.13

This week's theme was 'unplugged' which, along with 'acoustic' usually has me running for the hills.

Elin: “Freedom” (George Michael)

Crop tops and bad styling - yes it's Elin time again.  She continues to have bags of attitude and throws herself into performing the song, but yet again, this was at expense of the vocals.  Like Jens, she still has the rough edges and we wouldn't want to polish them too much, but she needs to learn how to harness them and not let her performance get in the way of the singing.  That also seemed to be Miriam's downfall earlier in the series.

Jens: "Layla" (Eric Clapton solo version)

The original Derek and the Dominoes version is one of the best songs of all time, and I have never been a fan of Mr Clapton's decision to rework his own song in unplugged style.   That aside, I thought Jens did a great job.  He has a world-weary voice beyond his young years and you forget how young he is.  Whilst his voice is well suited to the old rock songs, I would be interested to hear how it would sound on some original, modern material.

Kevin: "Don't Look Back In Anger" (Oasis)

I better not let my mum hear this, as this is her favourite Oasis song and I don't think she'd be too happy. Kevin's USP is delivering a sanitised, easy-listening version of everything he sings, and a granny-friendly covers album is inevitable. But I think we all know by now that he can't raaaaawwwwwk so if they did a rock week (are they doing one this year?) he could be dead and buried on that one, were it not for his army of obsessive fans.

Sandra: "Fast Car" (Tracy Chapman)

A poor song choice for her vocal style. This completely missed the hopelessness and desperation of the original and replaced it with you-go-girl diva attitude and vocals to match. Shame really, as her diva-vocals were back on track and she gave a good performance, but it was just the wrong song for it.

Erik: "Kiss From A Rose" (Seal)

I was a massive Seal fan in the early stages of his career but I thought this was one of his weakest songs despite being one of his biggest hits. Unfortunately Erik gave an even more sanitised version, although he sang well. Erik seems to be the anti-Elin - he focuses exclusively on his vocals to the detriment of his performance, and maybe comes across as a little too 'cold'.

Elin: "Wrecking Ball" (Miley Cyrus)

Current hit by the tiresomely overexposed Ms Cyrus...yawn. Thankfully Elin had more clothes on, however she would be the frontrunner if this series had a Barbara Dex award. Messy vocals as always, but an incredibly emotional performance which I'm sure would have connected with the viewers. Elin is looking like a definite finalist now.

Jens: “Radioactive” (Imagine Dragons)

This is one of those songs which has turned up in ads/trailers etc over recent months and turned out to be a shrewd song choice to allow Jens to prove that he wasn't just the guy who is good at the old rock songs. The rough edges are still there, but the consistency is finally beginning to come good. Like Elin, he is becoming a very serious challenger for this year's title, and I think he has the edge.

Kevin: “Hall of Fame” (The Script)

Sanitised - or should that be 'Kevinised' version of the song. He may still be the fans' favourite but IMHO he still doesn't have the greatness or special quality which is required of an Idol winner. If he does win, it will only be for the 'shallow' reasons, and that would be wrong.

Sandra: "No One" (Alicia Keys)

This is just Sandra being Sandra really, with her punchy diva vocals, which lack the subtlety of Alicia Keys' style. She did it well enough, but she is in a limited vocal niche and lacks the versatility and uniqueness which we would demand of an Idol finalist/winner. 

Erik: "Shake It Out" (Florence and the Machine)

Aww, I liked his wee lurex polo neck. I like the idea that he goes for more left-field song choices and tries to put his own little soulful stamp on them. Again, maybe a little too sanitised, yet unlike Kevin, he has the vocal capability for it to work.

5 contestants remain: who will go this week?

Bottom two: Erik and Sandra, with Sandra exiting the competition. 

Probably the right decision, as although her singing was improved this week, Sandra can only sing one style and she paid the price for lacking that versatility. But Erik? He didn't deserve to be in the bottom two. Although we are now at that someone-decent-will-always-be-in-the-bottom-two stage, so that's it. Notice who wasn't in the bottom two, but who should have been.....

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 7 - 08.11.13

This week's theme: Swedish-language hits.  And about time too!  

Matilda: "Varje gång jag ser dig" - original artist Lisa Nilsson
One of those 'Swedish classics'.  Her interpretation was OK but missing something.  The judges weren't too keen on it either.

Erik: "Sakta vi går igenom stan " - original artist Monica Zetterlund
There's been a Monica Z revival in Sweden over the past couple of months thanks to the film of the same name, so this was a fairly topical choice of an old song.  Erik getting in touch with his jazzy side.  Well done!

Jens: "Trasiga skor" - original artist Cornelis Vreeswijk
I didn't know this song at all but Jens did it rather well.

Sandra: "Öppna din dörr" - original artist Tommy Nilsson
Now this one's a good old Swedish talent show staple and has been performed on Idol before.  Not really too much to say, decent performance.  The judges didn't seem so positive though. 

Kevin: "Till dom ensamma" - original artist Mauro Scocco
I don't know the original song so can't really compare it.  This version firmly fell into Kevin's easy/comfortable good-but-not-earth-shattering style.  I'm still not sure if he would do so well without all the football back-story, and if the Swedish press is to be believed there's a good bit of favouritism going on (allegedly).

Elin:"Flickorna på TV2" - original artist Gyllene Tider
I'm a little more sympathetic to Elin after reading that she'd been struggling with a viral infection and coughing fits for weeks.  (Sounds very close to home).  Anyway I'm finally getting used to her vocal style and beginning to think she could have a decent career ahead of her as a recording artist, although she's still a little too unpredictable vocally. 

Matilda: "Det kommer aldrig va över för mig" - original artist Håkan Hellström
Quite an ironic song title when you consider how the evening was to pan out.  I thought this was actually a very decent version of the song and didn't really deserve the criticism.  However she and Elin are perhaps a little too close in appearance and vocal style

Erik: "Gubben i lådan" - original artist Daniel Adams-Ray
This is a very deceptive song as Daniel's verse rhymes can be very difficult to keep up with.  I noticed that Erik's version seemed to focus more on the chorus and he injected a bit of soul into the song. 

Jens: "Strövtåg i hembygden" - original artist Mando Diao
I had mentioned in an earlier post that he should try this song as I thought it would be a perfect fit for his voice.  Someone at Idol obviously agreed - this was a very wise song choice.  Idol 2013's king of inconsistency was definitely on his good side this week.

Sandra: "Händerna mot himlen" - original artist Petra Marklund
It was OK I guess, although for me it was in far too high a key to appreciate, and never came close to Petra's brilliant original.  Sandra was made-over beyond recognition this week, but it's as if they're still searching for a look and a style for her. 

Kevin: "Välkommen in" - original artist Veronica Maggio
Much of this had me squirming in disbelief.  Lacking the effortless cool of Veronica's version, and all over the place vocally. 

Elin: "Vart jag mig i världen vänder" - original artist Den Svenska Björnstammen
A punchy performance of the big hit from a couple of years ago.  She was mainly on form but lost the vocals a few times and tried to mask this with her trademark rolling grunts.  I didn't like her outfit either, but all in all this was better than I expected. 

Bottom two: Matilda and Elin, with Matilda (above) eliminated.  I thought Matilda's time was up.   As I said earlier, she seems to be too close to Elin in looks and voice, however Elin has the edge as well as a growing fanbase.

Talking of fanbases, this begs the question - how long can Kevin stay in the competition?  He's lucky that it's an underwhelming year for Idol as he probably wouldn't have lasted so long in a stronger field.  Or maybe he would?  For the influence of fandom in these competitions can't be underestimated.....

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 6 - 01.11.2013

Time for “Big Band Friday” – aww, British viewers, did this not take you back to the glory days of “Pop Idol”? – anyway not a Frank Sinatra or even a Michael Buble number in sight; the remaining seven contestants put their glad rags on and reinterpreted a random selection of tunes in ye olde big band style.

Sandra – “Wonderwall”.  I wonder what Noel Gallagher would have thought of his classic anthem being reinvented ‘Fever’-style?  Sandra is now looking comfortable in her role of stompy diva and this was very confidently performed. 

Gabriel – “As Long As You Love Me”. Never thought we’d see the day when a Bieber song was given the big band treatment, but there you go. I’m not too familiar with this song but Gabriel did his best, however it lacked the ‘kick’ which a big band number needs. 

Kevin – “It’s My Life”.  Not the Dr Alban 90s dance classic, but the Bon Jovi one.  Kevin finally went for it this week and injected a bit of much-needed oomph which was previously missing from his easy going style.  The only problem was that said oomph was in a different key to the orchestra and on that performance he should have gone home.  Kevin wasn't even there on the night, pre-recording his performance so he could play in a football match on Friday night. 

Matilda – “Umbrella”.  It wouldn’t be a talent show without a health scare of course, and Melinda hasn’t been well lately. A decent enough performance of a song I hate, but she doesn’t really have anything to distinguish her as a winner.

 

 

Jens – “Mama I’m Coming Home”. Oh Jens, Jens, Jens.  You frustrate me with your inconsistency.  One week he’s good, one week he’s awful.  This week though he was on top form, on an Ozzy Osbourne song which I didn’t know, but he managed to effortlessly reinvent it Rat Pack-style. 

Elin – “Roxanne”.  Like Jens, Elin understood how to reinvent a song big-band style, with all the ‘kick’ that requires – something which, as I said earlier, was missing from Gabriel’s performance.  However there is still something hugely annoying about her vocal style, those little ‘growls’ really get on my nerves. 

Erik – “Hurtful”.  Erik sings Erik.   Vocally spot-on as always, not really much else to say – he’s definitely the most consistent performer in what has so far been a very inconsistent series. 

This week was a difficult one to call, as all the contestants raised their game, but someone has to go.  This week it was Gabriel’s turn to say goodbye.  He found himself in the bottom two with Sandra, however Kevin should have been down there.  But he’s Kevin, so he wasn’t.   

(all photos courtesy of Aftonbladet)

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 5 - 25.10.2013

This week's theme: songs by previous Idol contestants.  Such a rich archive to plunder, and the crossover with Melodifestivalen was irresistible, with 5 of the 8 songs this week having either won or competed in that contest.  The original performers also sent little good-luck video messages, apart from Robin Stjernberg who was in the Idol studio.

Miriam Bengtsson - "This Is My Life".  So many songs to choose from, so why pick this insipid song which, if you'll all remember, didn't even make it to the Eurovision final?  The musical arrangement gave it a more modern twist, and while Miriam did her best, the vocals didn't always hit the target.  

Sandra Wikström – "You".  Bringing things up to date with this year's Melodifestivalen winner, by an Idol runner-up.  Lots of vocal gymnastics which we expect from Sandra by now, but thankfully none of the silly running-about stuff going on in the background. 

Kevin Walker - "Hope and Glory".  Lots of people are still standing for the Walker juggernaut. Unfortunately he's gone down the old easy-listening acoustic route - he clearly knows his own limitations - when we really want him to go out of the comfort zone and for something stompy and anthemic.  However he also knows his audience.  This was his best performance so far.

Jens Hult - "White Light Moment".  Jens has been very impressive over the last couple of weeks.  Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for his take on the Tove Styrke song.  Parts of this were just so awful that if it was an audition he would have no chance of going on to the next stage.   That's his problem - like many of this year's Idol contestants, he lacks consistency. 

Erik Rapp - "Euphoria".  A daring and iconic song choice, which has become so associated with its original performer Loreen, that Erik, despite trying to put his own stamp on it, didn't quite succeed.  It wasn't a Jens-type train wreck though, and he still has the quality to go far.  His vocals often remind me of Terence Trent D'Arby in places. 

Elin Bergman - "Happyland".  A very good song choice for her style.  If you remember my blog posts from the 2007 series, you'll recall that I wasn't an Amanda Jenssen fan at the time and only appreciated her after she began making her own music.  Maybe Elin will be the same?

Gabriel Alares - "You're Out Of My Life".  Gabriel was definitely within his comfort zone here.  Ballads seem to be his strong point although he's still missing the emotional connection required of a song like this one. 

Matilda Melin - "Release Me".  Much of this was pretty flat and disguised by some Elin-style growls and vocal inflections.  It didn't soar the way it should. 

Bottom two: Jens and Miriam.  The failure-to-qualify curse of "This Is My Life" struck again and Miriam was sent home. 

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 4 - 18.10.13

This week's theme was "gone too soon" which is not a reference to the eliminated George (you can tell I'm still annoyed about that one) but songs by stars who are no longer with us. 

Sara Sangfelt: "Rehab".  This was all over the place , singing a different melody and was very disappointing, as I thought she would do justice to an Amy Winehouse song.  This was just the wrong one.

Elin Bergman: "No Woman No Cry". You may be surprised to learn that there were moments during this version (of the Fugees version) which weren't 100% terrible.  It's probably too late to hope that she might be steered away from the chavvy musical style and look, for there may just be some potential there after all. 

Erik Rapp: "A Change Is Gonna Come".  After Erik's shocking bottom-two place last week he was back to his best.  He has such a solid, mature vocal style for one so young, and a great recording voice so win or lose, we're going to be hearing a lot more from him.  This was an almost faultless vocal performance.

Miriam Bengtsson: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody".  Song choice, FFS!  Can we please have a little more imagination?  This isn't X Factor after all.  Happily, Miriam brought a lively and more updated performance but as with her Michael Jackson cover the other week, her vocals can suffer at the expense of the dancing and stage movement.

Gabriel Alares: "You Can't Kill Rock N'Roll".  Now this is more like it.  A great song choice, dedicated to Sugarplum Fairy's drummer Kristian Gidlund who recently passed away.  A very interesting decision to reinvent it as a big Swedish pop ballad which was effortless for him.  As the weeks go on, does anyone agree that he's becoming the Idol 2013 contestant most likely to appear at Melodifestivalen....?

Kevin Walker: "Behind Blue Eyes".  He's very smart is Mr Walker.  He has an easy-going, if limited, vocal style, but he chooses songs very carefully which don't stretch his vocals too far.  However he needs to work on his emotional interpretation, as he grinned his way through dark lyrics.  The jury were very positive about this week's performance.

Sandra Wikström: "Try Again".  A bit too much fight and attitude this week which overwhelmed the subtlety of the original.  She's maybe trying just a little too hard to prove herself and fight off the "haters". 

Matilda Melin: "Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay".  Matilda and Sara seem to have vocally morphed into each other.  I'm desperately searching for some vocal subtlety in this year's female contestants, and failing miserably.

Jens Hult: "Come As You Are".  Subtlety was in short supply here too, but then we wouldn't really expect that from the gravelly voice of Jens singing a Nirvana song.  There were some cringeworthy moments in here but he is still rather good at what he does, I guess.

Bottom 2: Sara....

...and Sandra...

...with Sara eliminated this week.  Presumably her vocals will now be completely inherited lock, stock and barrel by Melinda.  8 contestants remain, and by the law of averages one of the boys will be next to go, but which one?