Sölvesborgs-Tidningen 131021
By: Henrik Svensson
Concert
Helen Sjöholm on autumn tour
Concert Hall Theatre, Karlskrona
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Nearly two decades into her career, a whole 18 years since her break through in Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson’s Kristina från Duvemåla, Helen Sjöholm continues to constantly surprise her audience. The appearance at the Concert Hall Theatre was no exception.
Helen Sjöholm’s performance together with Håkan Hellstrom this summer, during the latter’s own section of Allsång på Skansen once again showed that Sjöholm can manage most genres.
The voice with large V
During the autumn tour the musical artist, who is at home both in folk music as well as on the big screen, lets pure pop music take a more defined role. It’s easy to be amazed by the fingertip feeling that has found Saturday evening’s selection of pop songs, mainly thinking of rare number as the British folk singer Judee Sill’s The Kiss and Veronica, written by Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney.
It is not only a delight for hardcore pop fans. Helen Sjöholm makes both those and her own hits her own, with the same near-surgical song precision we have gotten used to. Because with Helen Sjöholm it is indeed possible to speak about the voice with a large V. The most important aspect of a good singing voice is actually not at all the ability to reach the highest notes, but rather to get the audience to completely lose ourselves in the music and the stories it tells.
Helen Sjöholm has always possessed this ability. Jojje Wadenius, for the evening acting as comp musician, shines more than once and especially during the band’s interpretations of classical Swedish folk songs.
High class of the music
Also pianist Martin Östergren demonstrates his skill when the music to the play Peter Pan and Wendy (performed last winter at Stockholm City Theatre) is presented. It’s also at these occasions that it’s possible to remark that the jumps between genres sometimes becomes a little bit too eccentric, that it becomes difficult to find a thread from pop explosions to folk song interpretations and instrumental musical numbers.
At the same time each single number is of such high class that Helen Sjöholm and her co-musicians may be forgiven for that. Quality should always rank highest.