Piteå Tidningen 101119
By: ANDERS SANDLUND
HELEN SJÖHOLM
Euforia – Helen Sjöholm sings Billy Joel
(Universal)
With all due respect to “You are my man”, but for me Helen Sjöholm is larger and more dynamic than an ostentatious song which have been in an eternity in the Swedish charts. She would consistently stick to the Swedish language, so also this time when she interprets Billy Joel. Tomas Andersson Wij, one of our very best, is responsible for the Swedish lyrics, and it feels good already on the paper.
Most attempts to flirt with the audience fails when you step over the most obvious choices – “Just the Way You Are” and “Uptown Girl”. I call it integrity and take my hat off. There are still so many fine interpretations to smile about. The hackneyed hakuna matata-soul of “River of Dreams” undergoes the album’s strongest metamorphosis and become the stripped song pearl “Flodens botten”. Bubbling “Låt det va” could belong to Maritza Horn’s repertoire.
“Barpianisten”, of course.” Piano Man” is a song that sounds just like I thought and hoped and is the one that perhaps is easiest for Sjöholm to sing, who makes smooth octave jumps.
Then there is “Varje sår söker ett sår”. The origin is called “And So It Goes” and that is one of the best songs ever. Find the original and discover if you haven´t already done so, but also listen to this carefully-managed church organ version. Has Sjöholm sounded better than this?
The songs are stripped gently but not cowardly in the right costumes and the sound on the album breathes quality. It feels like Sjöholm likes Billy Joel for real.
I´m not euphoric, but this is a really good recording and it could be a well-deserved success. A very popular artist who fends off pitfalls like “easygoing popular production”. Please understand me right. This is not a complex CD to listen to, the other way around, but Sjöholm doesn´t choose the easiest paths. Maybe she thinks that it´s better that in ten years be able to listen to an album that still is current, instead of selling ten thousand copies extra before Christmas. Good thinking.