Smålandsposten 110406
By: TINA PERSSON
The equation Helen Sjöholm / Billy Joel felt initially a little difficult for me, until the result came out of the studio, so to speak. Then I understood that it was a successful combination.
This evening at the concert hall 700 others took the chance too, and we realized what a great concert this was! The rain fell over our city and after a while Helen Sjöholm fittingly sang Ljudet av ett regn (Falling of the Rain). These more than 90 minutes went from darkness to euphoria. (Band) name Euforia reflects the feeling that the singer must have felt when she got her dream musicians with her into a studio and then on stage: George Jojje Wadenius, Martin Östergren and the rest of the accompaniment, such as a drummer with the sporty surname Ferrari, and the girls of Stockholm Session Strings, who appear on the stage after a bit risqué smalltalk – that is, you understand from the very beginning, not bad a company for Helen Sjöholm.
Euforia is the word for a strong well-being. It appears a few times during the concert, for example, in the fantastic version of Tomas Andersson Wij’s own song Ett slag för dig (A heartbeat for you). It’s he who has interpreted Billy Joel in a way that makes me think: what a beautiful language Swedish is! When words are stripped of the language of Wij and sung and interpreted by Helen Sjöholm.
The smalltalk between songs is sometimes funny and sometimes serious. Grandma is involved, and mum too – Sjöholm is sovereign in dialects, including Scania, we learn here! This Sundsvall girl who went to Stockholm is offering herself. Yes, it became a real travel invitation in the long medley that was part of the singer’s teenage years, here dressed in contemporary cover songs and fun talk. Superbly backed up by the band! The darkness we got from another cover: the brilliant performed Where The Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave.
Jojje Wadenius sings deep bass and you just enjoy it!. Then there is the song from Aniara, where Helen Sjöholm played the blind princess. Here she sings the princess song to an almost crying audience, and it´s a nasty issue these times, because the Aniara ship of Harry Martinson’s epic poem had to leave the radiation injured earth and came off course.
Wadenius is sitting Oscar Wilde-like, playing the guitar virtuoso. Personally, Helen Sjöholm is like spring water, one of our most versatile singers, who also shows us that the course can switch between Billy Joel and Shakespeare! Sure, the audience got a lot of each. Can it really be this good at work, asked Sjöholm and took a sip of water. I was thinking the same thing in my seat. The concert’s biggest amount of energy was saved for Barpianisten (Piano Man).
FACTS
Helen Sjöholm
Where: Växjö Concert Hall.
Cast: Helen Sjöholm, Martin Östergren, Jojje Wadenius, Gunnar Nordén, André Ferrari, Fredrik Jonsson, Johanna Tafvelin, Hanna Helgegren, Anna Wallgren, Åsa Stove.
Attendance: 700
Songs: Billy Joel
Producer: Gunnar Nordén, Helen Sjöholm