Värmlands Folkblad 121130
By: BJÖRN STEFANSON
Facts
BENNY ANDERSSON BAND
Tomten Har Åkt Hem (Santa Claus Has Travelled Home)
(Mono musik/Universal)
Rating: 4
CHRISTMAS MUSIC. We don´t need to make Christmas complicated, it may be enough to let Helen Sjöholm sing “Nu tändas tusen juleljus” (Noware lit a thousand Christmas lights), accompanied only by Benny Andersson’s piano, for the deluxe holiday spirit to appear.
But as the wise fiddler the conductor is, he realizes he must uproot most listeners out of their coma after all the Christmas porridge, and then schottisches, waltzes or polkas are the thing.
The band plays everything with exquisite finesse, even the worn “Tomtarnas vaktparad” (The gnome’s guard parade), while the vocalists Sjöholm / Körberg enjoy the pralines. In addition, the title track is a little gem, with doggerel of the highest class. Friends of folk dance don´t get a moment of peace, even at Christmas.