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The multilingual Norweigan singer-songwriter Silje Nergaard (who first established herself as a jazz singer at the age of 16 after joining an impromptu jam session with Jaco Pastorious) has assembled a "concept album" composed of two sessions with divergent production styles. Part one of this sprawling project — Japanese Blue — is Nergaard revisiting her greatest hits in spare, striking arrangements with just acoustic piano accompaniment from Espen Berg. Sonically, the high-resolution recording here captures a crisp, detailed, natural musicality. Older songs like "Be Still My Heart," and the superb "Based on a Thousand True Stories" clearly benefit from her years of interpretation and live performance. She also adds a wonderful sad tinge to Freddie Mercury's "Love of My Life," and turns in a credible performance of the Louis Armstrong hit, "What a Wonderful World."
Hamar Railway Station, the second set, is eight new songs recorded with an electric band where she sings in English (with an assist from longtime lyricist partner Mike McGurk) before repeating it in Norwegian. Recorded in a punchier, synth-led style, in which Andreas Ulvo's minimoog and Fender Rhodes add welcome textures, the full band bounce and layered backing vocals in songs like "Train of Fragile Hearts" and "The Night Traveller" make for bright, 80's soft rock that speak of love and hurt while eschewing much innovation or edginess. Which session represents Nergaard's true calling? Or is she a multi-faceted artist covering bases? The contrasts on Silje Nergaard pose intriguing questions. © Robert Baird/Qobuz
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Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Peter Gabriel, Composer, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Nils Einar Vinjor, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Freddie Mercury, Composer, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, Lyricist, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike McGurk, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Kristin A. Sandberg, Lyricist - Espen Berg, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer - Silje Nergaard & Espen Berg, AssociatedPerformer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Espen Berg, Piano - GEORGE DAVID WEISS, Composer, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bob Thiele, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Kristin A. Sandberg, Composer, Lyricist - Espen Berg, Piano - Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Violeta Parra, Composer, Lyricist - Michael Hartung, Engineer - Morgan Nicolaysen, Mastering Engineer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
DISC 2
Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Composer, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Mike McGurk, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Composer, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Trygve Skaug, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Kristin A. Sandberg, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Kristin A. Sandberg, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Trygve Skaug, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Kristin A. Sandberg, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Trygve Skaug, Lyricist - Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Silje Nergaard, Composer, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Mike Hartung, Mixing Engineer - Ole Paus, Lyricist - Wetle Holte, Producer
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
Album review
The multilingual Norweigan singer-songwriter Silje Nergaard (who first established herself as a jazz singer at the age of 16 after joining an impromptu jam session with Jaco Pastorious) has assembled a "concept album" composed of two sessions with divergent production styles. Part one of this sprawling project — Japanese Blue — is Nergaard revisiting her greatest hits in spare, striking arrangements with just acoustic piano accompaniment from Espen Berg. Sonically, the high-resolution recording here captures a crisp, detailed, natural musicality. Older songs like "Be Still My Heart," and the superb "Based on a Thousand True Stories" clearly benefit from her years of interpretation and live performance. She also adds a wonderful sad tinge to Freddie Mercury's "Love of My Life," and turns in a credible performance of the Louis Armstrong hit, "What a Wonderful World."
Hamar Railway Station, the second set, is eight new songs recorded with an electric band where she sings in English (with an assist from longtime lyricist partner Mike McGurk) before repeating it in Norwegian. Recorded in a punchier, synth-led style, in which Andreas Ulvo's minimoog and Fender Rhodes add welcome textures, the full band bounce and layered backing vocals in songs like "Train of Fragile Hearts" and "The Night Traveller" make for bright, 80's soft rock that speak of love and hurt while eschewing much innovation or edginess. Which session represents Nergaard's true calling? Or is she a multi-faceted artist covering bases? The contrasts on Silje Nergaard pose intriguing questions. © Robert Baird/Qobuz
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 27 track(s)
- Total length: 02:06:28
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Silje Nergaard
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Sony Music - OKEH
- Genre: Jazz
(P) 2020 Sony Music Entertainment Germany GmbH
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