QX November 2010
By: ANDERS ÖHRMAN
Helen Sjöholm
Euforia
QX QX QX QX
When I first heard that Helen Sjöholm would do a cover-Cd with songs by Billy Joel, I was rather disappointed. I felt instinctively that it felt unimaginative and dull with a cover-CD from Helen. But then I was told that i…t would be in Swedish (jippie!) with essays by Thomas Andersson Wij (dubble-jippie!) and when I also got to hear a sample of The woman for you, I was completely sold. It sounded so much better than I ever imagined.
I have spent a couple of weeks with the CD and I love it. There are not many that even mention a handful of songs with Billy Joel, (some maybe mix him together with Billy Idol), but when playing some of his songs, they say usually: “oh, has he done this?” Helen has chosen some of his better songs, as Honesty (here called Ärlighet), Pianoman (Barpianisten), New York State Of Mind (New York) and the aforementioned Always a Woman To Me (Kvinnan för dig).
Helen’s voice is, as usual, heartbreaking beautiful, but it Tomas Andersson Wijs lyrics that lift this CD up to grade four. Some of the songs selected from Billy Joel’s huge tunes, I think feel a little hesitant, but Wijs lyrics rescues them. Best job Tomas has done in the Piano man and New York State of my mind, the text makes me genuinely happy. And in combination with Helens voice they go straight into my heart!