| This Week's Highlights |
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analysis w/e 14.5.11 |
DVDs out 9.5.11 |
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@ DVDfever Youtube |
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May 11 2011 
DVDfever co uk
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Swedes excellent bitter sweet debut - went ‘Gold’ in two weeks in Sweden. Tim Rice is a big fan. When the voice of Oh Laura’s Frida Ohrn hit our TV screens on last year’s SAAB advert, singing Release Me, I was stunned, really. It was seen by a staggering 240 million viewers. On first hearing, it sounded like Bjork, but soon realised the song wasn’t bonkers enough, so some internet trawling ensued until she was tracked down. In all, 50,000 downloads were registered from the SAAB website alone. I was one of them. BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris described like her like this "It sounds like a whole life has been lived through Frida’s vocals."
And so it is, somewhere between Bjork, and Roisin Murphy’s huskiness. This incredible blonde babe now gets a chance to show what she can do on the band’s debut which runs - in at around a short and sweet 35 minutes. She hasn’t written any songs, so she’s left to front and only sing and play the odd bit of harmonica. The single, Release Me was a sensation in their native Sweden, with hopefully, the album due to make waves in the UK. This five-piece from Stockholm knew they were onto a winner with Frida’s vocal talents which are adaptable for this folky pop bonanza, though nothing quite matches Release Me. The songs are very good indeed which make for a pleasurable listen, sometimes veering into Fairground Attraction territory. At the core of all their work is a deep sense of gorgeous melody and harmony, even when they clash with unsettling lyrics on Black and Blue – "Beat me black and blue / As long as you forgive me (repeat) / Lock me in your room / As long as you are with me / Honey, there ain’t nothing I wont do," she sings lovingly as the tables are turned by her lover.
If Release Me doesn’t make the national airwaves, then chirpy Fine Line’s radio friendliness will do the trick. Their folk influences surface on the divine melancholic ballad Raining In New York. It ambles along nicely, until swaying strings boost the chorus with Frida’s voice at its peak, and heart warmingly beautiful. She describes the album as a love story, "But a fragile love story where something uncomfortable and uncertain is ever present", highlighted by the dark Killer On The Road, which has some fine Latino brass breaks. Thunderbird Motel opens much like Chris Isaac’s Blue Hotel with its jangly guitar strums, turning into a simple but effective Americana ballad. File under: promising future.
Weblinks: ohlaura.net / myspace.com/laurasweden
The full list of tracks included are :
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier. PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
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Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
