Tag: Fredrika Stahl

Young Swedish pop jazz singer and songwriter Fredrika Stahl’s 2nd album “Tributaries” got me initially disoriented and I couldn’t pinpoint what stands out in this new collection of songs.  There seems to be a departure of style as this new album has a more fresh varied upbeat theatrical sound while her debut is more instrumentally driven in a Jazz way.  To help you refresh on what her previous album sounds like, check out my YouTube video filmed during one of my oil painting sessions.  I used “Game Over” as the soundtrack.  I know I know, it’s not legal … but …

If my translation is correct (and if these are indeed French), “paroles, musiques, écrites, composé” would mean “words, musics, written, composes” in English.  That means, according to the album booklets, Fredrika Stahl composes almost all her songs.  No wonder, the memorable melody hooks and the light and girlie lyrics exist in both albums.

The difference, as I found out later, lies in the band.  In her debut, “Fraction Of You”, she has a more traditional Jazz band set-up while in her 2nd album “Tributaries”, she brings in an array of Parisian horn and string musicians.  Also, with more emphasis on electric guitars and drums, “Tributaries” does tilt toward the pop genre.  Besides musical instruments, sound effects are used to transform some of her songs into something refreshingly different.  Take “Oh Sunny Sunny Day”, it sounds exactly like a song coming out from a gramophone back in the 40’s or 50’s.  Outstanding.  In “One Man Show”, at one part, she sings with a whispering voice.  Very seductive.  Plenty of minor keys and half-notes and unexpected changes in the melody that prompt me to listen to the album again and again.  Sample the slow track “The Damage is Done” if you have the chance and you’ll see what I mean.

Lyrically, it’s girlie, yes.  But girlie with style.  Check out the lyrics of “Irreplaceable”.

I want to be remembered as “one of a kind”
Unique and why not “out of her mind”?
I want to be special, unpredictable and absurd
I want to tell people the most aberrant things they’ve heard
:
None of my partners introduced me to their folks
Afraid that I might pull off some awkward jokes
And once we’ve split up they would alway say
That I’m not a girl to marry anyway

Below is the teaser music video of one of my favorite tracks “So High”.  Don’t you find the lyrics … playful?  The actual song delivery seems different from the album.  A live recording perhaps?

Related Posts and External Site: Fredrika Stahl’s Debut – A Good Pop Jazz Album, My 8th Oil Painting – Battle Of The Ancient, Fredrika Stahl’s MySpace.

I always try to keep a look out for newly released jazz albums because from where I come from, jazz albums are less common than other genres such as pop, rock, and hip hop. Once in a while, it is refreshing to listen to a little bit of [commercial] jazz (see footnote 1) for a more relaxing evening.

The album’s cover grabbed my attention. But it was the artist’s name that got me thinking. Somehow it reminded me of one of my favourite jazz artist Lisa Ekdahl (both surname ended with the letters “HL” and that was the only association I have). True enough, both artists are Swedish.

Fredrika Stahl’s debut album “Fraction Of You” contains songs that are written by her and the jazz arrangements that are created by a group of musicians. The result is a set of songs that are neither totally pop nor jazz. Each song has a good potion of solo music from different instruments while the melody is very accessible.

You can listen to the highlight of each song from her official site. My favourite track is “Game Over”. I love the lyrics of the song.

Related Post: Fredrika Stahl – Tributaries – A Playfully Girlie Pop Jazz Album Now With a Different Sound

Footnote 1: I don’t claim to understand the traditional jazz music. But I do enjoy the commercial ones that are more accessible to me.