I always fail miserably when I state that I'm going to write some 'concise' album reviews, but I really want to do that, because we have about 10 releases that are worthy of everyone's attention, and I'd rather bring 10 artists / bands and their albums to your attention than just 2. We'll start off in Bergen (erm… where else) with a release from singer songwriter 'Heidi Goodbye', who had a UK release of her album 'A Flash of Bliss' in July, and it's a varied and interesting set of tracks that I think should have a reasonably wide appeal.
So 'Heidi Goodbye' (the musician / composer / producer Heidi Torsvik) ,is now living in Bergen, and 'A Flash of Bliss' is her 2nd solo album, whilst she has also collaborated on many other projects including the acclaimed album 'Spiritual Non-Believers' by The Last Hurrah!! , which is definitely well worth checking out. The new album was recorded live in Los Angeles on an old fashioned 8-track tape recorder, and accompanying her on the album are renowned musicians such as multi-instrumentalist Winter Lazerus.
This is an album with a really strong personality, and amongst the highlights are the opening track 'I Love People Who Care', which is a great statement to open on, with warm expressive vocals (and the vocals throughout are a highlight), but I love the texture of the instrumentation that builds in the background.
'Oh Dear' is a jaunty tongue in cheek song about being in love with more than 1 guy, and ending with the admission that ''it might be a mess in the end''. The piano in 'Anger and Frustration' is a real delight, whilst rockabilly 'Wild Woman' takes the music in a different directions still. But it's tracks such as 'A Shadow Spread Its Wings' which appeal to me most, slightly darker in its approach (''no time for mercy'') with melancholy vocals and a subtle crescendo of sound, and the mood is continued at the start of Norwegian Blues', which then just opens up with an explosion of sound, it's the highlight of the album for me.
This album has a natural musical flair which really appeals to me, the musicianship is clear to hear, and it sounds like it's the type of album that was great fun to perform and record, which transmits through as a listener too. I don't have a huge emotional connection to some of the songs, as I do with some albums that I get totally lost in, but I like in particular those which have an 'edge' to them, darker tracks such as 'A Shadow Spreads its Wings', and the story based 'I'm Not Crazy' in particular. Anyway 'A Flash of Bliss' is definitely worth a listen, and we're delighted to add 'Heidi Goodbye' to our long, oh so very long. list of musicians we like from Bergen.