God bless fools like us

I really am trying to cut down on the CDs I buy, but when I saw Swedish singer Andreas Johnson's 1999 album Liebling, used, for $1.49 in a shop, I couldn't pass it up. Though I'm not very knowledgeable about him at all, didn't think much of "Sing For Me" (the Melodifestivalen song that led to a comeback popularity-wise in 2006), and, despite the constant comparisons between the two singers, much preferred Sebastian's "When The Night Comes Falling" to Andreas's "A Little Bit Of Love" in this year's Melodifestivalen, he has been involved with some things I think are great. "Glorious," which I think was the only one of his songs to have any sort of presence in the U.S. (please correct me if I'm wrong), is from Liebling and is an amazing song that hooks you in with that dramatic opening and doesn't let up in the sweeping chorus--definitely a must buy (available on U.S. iTunes) if you don't have it. In its original version, "A Little Bit Of Love" may have been pretty forgettable, the PJ Harmony Remix improves on it by leaps and bounds, making it dancier but not really housey--it's something I know I'm not going to be able to resist posting someday. For now, though, another song, one I first heard on Swedish radio quite a while ago and one of the few new songs on his greatest hits album, released after Melodifestivalen. (I'm embedding the video for "Glorious" because it's one of those songs everyone should hear, but, guessing most people have, posting a different song.)



Go For The Soul--though it won't suprise you at all to learn that Andreas is singing this song--in addition to his distinctive voice, it's not that different than some of his recent big hits--I somehow like it a lot more than either of his Melodifestivalen entries...maybe because, though it doesn't come near the drama (or timelessness) of "Glorious," it's closer to it than either of those two were, less cheesily upbeat and a little more hard-hitting. Given that I'm normally all for "cheesy upbeatness," I'm not sure why I so greatly prefer Andreas in this sort of mode--maybe it's just something in his voice.

To buy Andreas Johnson's greatest hits album The Collector, go here (physical) or here (digital). I haven't truly listened to Liebling enough to discuss it yet (I don't anticipate calling it a must buy by any stretch), but for some reason the second track "People" reminds me a little of something Espen Lind might have done right around his Sway phase, maybe just leaving it. I think I'm going to have to start further investigating Andreas's work; surely anyone who can write a song like "Glorious" must have approached its...glory at least once again in his work.

Next up: maybe a song from another used album I picked up, this one by a couple of Norwegians.

(I love the style of the above photo--by Elisabeth Frang, apparently--and whoever art directed the "Glorious" music video--or whoever stylized it--may deserve some sort of award.)