The rest of the Melodifestivalen contestants, with the exception of the wildcards, were announced today and--thrillingly though not surprisingly (but I wasn't going to count on anything)--the name I was most hoping for showed up: Linda Bengtzing. Yes, I know, she's got some live singing issues (read Bollinger Bolshevik's much more witty description on that topic), but there's something about her voice, at least in studio, that I adore--maybe it's the way that she sings just so full-bore? Whatever; I'm thrilled that she's back, thrilled that she's got the writers of "Alla Flickor" and "Diamanter" behind her, and hopeful that we'll get another album after that (expect Blake-level freaking about it around that time).She's hardly the only singer worth paying attention to, though. As I said yesterday, we'll hopefully get a bunch of new singers and songs that we currently have no idea how much we'll love, but name-wise, Melodifestivalen/Swedish pop fans are probably excited about BWO, Caracola, one of the girls out of Pay TV, and (though at some point I want to delve into some of the other songs I'm looking forward to beyond these "big names"...well, maybe that's not the right term for Caracola) today's featured singer, Charlotte Perrelli. I know I wrote about her not too long ago, but given that she'll be back to Melodifestivalen after winning it and then Eurovision in 1999, she's worth drawing your attention to again.
Closer--Charlotte will be singing the Fredrik Kempe and Bobby Ljunggren song "Hero" in Melodifestivalen (the same semifinal as Linda! I'm so worried, given the other names in the semifinal and the fact that we haven't even heard the wildcards yet) and if it's as good as some of the other uptempo schlagers she's given us in the past, we should all be in for a treat. "Closer," from her 2004 album Gone Too Long, is one of those. It's really just flawless Swedish pop, catchy, energetic, swooshy, and upbeat with a strong chorus and, yes, a key change. I love the music just after each chorus and the middle 8.
To buy Charlotte Perrelli's album Gone Too Long, go here (physical).
Next up: maybe a Greek song.
4 comments:
See, the lack of an Australian song though teased is starting to dis-orientate Y!
I need to know who it is!
Will Sweden ever really top Ace Of Base? Will we ever know!
Alyson
People are underrating Linda's voice. She sounded great at Diggiloo this summer, I know, I was there... (besides Linda did a flawless vocal performance in the 2006 final) and people were actually screaming for her. She's really popular and will have no problems on qualifying to the final.
And my lovely Charlotte has finally decided to enter again. She's the diva of the year (though she's no diva, she's the sweetest and most kind person you could ever come across.) With a song that is said to be extremely good.
Here's to a great MF year!
I'm somewhat intrigued by there only being one girl from Pay TV performing in the contest. Aren't the girls meant to be trying to get back in the game with new album next year, etc?
Or is it that whole "been there, done that" type of attitude they've adapted?
Ha ha--OK, I'll try to get to it soon, but it's verrrry predictable and most people will already have heard it!
I almost mentioned how good she was in the 2006 final! I'm so glad Charlotte and Linda are both in it--should be really promising. I'm excited already :D
Adem, that's a really good question--I nearly asked Robpop about that; I thought if anyone would know, he would.
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