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CD No: AMCD748 by Sofia Karlsson called Folk Songs. Released: 2002

Short description:

The Review: The time has come for singer Sofia Karlsson's solo recording debute. She is one of the new bright stars of Swedish folk music. Her contributions to the already legendary band Groupa has made her name renowned in Sweden and worldwide.

Karlsson's interpretation of the Scandinavian tradition compares with Gillian Welch's approach to Appalachian, Nashville and bluegrass music. The small band format and the capacity to let melancholy and the blues show through without becoming sentimentally sticky is something they have in common. The sweet and lovely gleam and shimmer against the somewhat rougher sound.

Karlsson, like Welch, strips the music down without allowing it to loose its intensity, trusting and knowing how these minimal arangements can touch the listener. There is another parallell in Karlsson and Welch's origins. Welch from well-to-do Los Angeles takes on bluegrass and country music of the early days, in much the same way as Karlsson from Stockholm is searching and finding Swedish traditional music, folk songs and hymns. Love lost and the true love and heartbreak of cheap romance novels sits next to religious hymns and chorales.

Most of the CD is Swedish, with some Danish and Norwegian material. Sofia is joined by a number of excellent musicians on this record. Esbjörn Hazelius (citern, violin and song) a versatile musician, familiar with Irish traditional music and a very good singer - the man at the core of most of the arrangements. Listen to his duets with Sofia in Brudsång and Om dagen. Another mainstay is cello player Leo Svensson, who apart from playing traditional music with Mats Berglund and Anders Norudde is also a member of critically acclaimed free form jazz group Gul 3. Harald Haugaard from Denmark on viola is also a member of Sorten Muld, he embellishes a few tracks, note his brilliant playing on Som Fågelen. As a bonus Johan Hedin is a special guest on a few tracks with his tenor nyckleharpa. Key words:

The Band: Sofia Karlsson Sweden

Band members:
21 Leo Svensson (Cello) 153


CD Tracks: 1. Allt vad vi på jorden äge
2. Brudsång (Kärleksvisa)
3. Leffes polska
4. Sion klagar
5. Solleröpolska
6. I denna ljuva sommartid
7. Den blomstertid
8. Den störste sorg
9. 2 brudestykke
10. Som fågelen
11. Polska från äppelbo
12. Vallåtar
13. I denna ljuva sommartid (från Leksand)
14. Om dagen