Sundsvalls Tidning 140216
By: STEFAN FORSBERG
First Charlotte Kalla’s heroic achievement in the Olympic games. After that Helen Sjöholm’s beautiful singing in Tonhallen. Two world class Sundsvall women gilded this Saturday for many people.
Rating: 4/5
Helen Sjöholm did an unpretentious entrance in a baggy dark dress, semi-long black leather boots and referenced nicely to her younger skiing fighter from the same city that already had set a very special light on the foul weather.
Sjöholm herself crisscrossed in the music tracks. At first I saw it as a restless searching for a hold. Gradually it became a fickle power and show of a more or less complete singer, regardless of genre.
For example her voice shaped crystal clear spiers and towers in the Lugn-Andersson-Ulvaeus‘ piece “Bortom sol och måne”. A familiar song potpourri bubbling of new must and in interpretations of Billy Joel, Cat Stevens, Costello/McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Tomas Andersson Wij, Helen showed that a singer-songwriter career may wait around the corner. (…)
If I have to choose two highlights it will be the thrill and voluminous interpretation of “Vårens stora dag” (Laleh), and the full version of Staffan Hellstrand’s lyrical masterpiece, Fanfar.
Helen Sjöholm conveys poise, verve, deep pain of love and ostentatious glamour. (…) Most of all she‘s of course her own unique self with the ability to give luster to both 18th century images as well as synthy Depeche Mode songs, which we also got to hear a sample of.
Maybe one or another were disappointed that only a couple of her perhaps most appreciated song numbers were performed in the regular program, Gabriellas sång and “Du måste finnas”. Myself, I enjoyed how easy and comfortable she alternated between different vocal techniques and styles .
Tonhallen was crowded, the scenography extremely sparse if not nonexistent. The sound however was formidable, doing the high quality band with Martin Östergren (keyboard ), Jojje Wadenius (guitar), Ulric Johansson (bass) and Tomas Bergquist (drums) complete justice.
The gold on this day still went to Kalla (as consolation), Helen got the silver (for her golden voice). (…)
(Due to copyright reasons the entire review cannot be reproduced)
Source: Sundsvalls Tidning