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Acrobats – Sondre Lerche

Singer/Songwriter

Art pop musician Sondre Lerche is back with a new, shorter album following his successful «Avatars of Love». The Acrobats album is filled with lovely tracks full of musical surprises. Lerche has become not only an imaginative singer/songwriter, his arrangements are increasingly lush with unexpected turns along the way.

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Crico – Miranda Lambert

Country Pop

There is no doubt Miranda Lambert is from Texas, both her sound and her style tell us that much. I would guess she has learned quite a lot from listening to Kacey Musgreaves, they are quite similar in style, although Lambert is truer to the roots of country than Musgreaves is, for better or for worse. I still find her new album entertaining and foot-stomping good, and after a few listen-throughs you might too start to sing along as well. I did.

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Day and Night – Carly Rae Jepsen

pop

It is not often I run into a new double album, but adventurous Canadian artist Carly Rae Jepsen had so much to tell that it has filled four old-fashioned LP sides. I am really impressed with the variety and broad scope from an artist so clearly placed in the middle-of-the-road-section of pop music. Her voice has the range to cover everything from pop to folk to disco and she feels at home in all of these.

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Pick of the Month

A Flor do recomeço – Salvador Sobral

Pop/Jazz

Many predicted a great musical future for Portuguese Salvador Sobral following his huge win in Eurovision Song Contest in 2017, but the international success didn’t materialize, and I assume he didn’t chase it either. I heard him in concert a year after his win, and he was absolutely as brilliant as I expected, but he kept recording jazzy, a bit out-of-the-ordinary tracks, and never in English, although he is bilingual. The interest for his new album is thus low, which is sad, because now he is back at his full potential, even though he sticks to Portuguese lyrics. This is such a beautiful collection of extraordinary songs, very much like the sound he enthralled Europe with all those years ago, and all recorded in Brazil with Brazilian musicians. He continues to be a well kept secret for a wide audience, so let’s keep him hidden and his music to ourselves for the time being. He won’t object.

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The Hard Truth – Winonna

Country Pop

We are moving back to the sound of country, but this time superbly mixed with gospel and soul, performed by the Winonna Judd with her powerful alto voice. She co-wrote 9 of the 10 songs, which makes the album both personal and moving in so many ways.

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The List – Susanna Hoffs

Indie/Folk

A few seconds of listening to The List and you’re taken back to Bangles and their lovely ballads like Eternal Flame. Susanna Hoffs’ voice hasn’t changed much since the Bangles heydays, but now we meet a considerably more rooted artist, with slow ballads and warm reflective melodies.

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Nocturne – Wasia Project

Indie pop

The siblings Olivia Hardy and Will Gao form Wasia Project, taking us with their new album to dark, melancholic electronic pop, sprinkled with jazz-pop and club music, perfect for late-night listening.

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Ride Lonesome – Beck

Alt.rock

American singer/songwriter Beck seems to have been around forever, which is partly true: he started out in the early 1990s and is still recording, sticking to his slightly dreamy folk rock recipe. On his latest album, Ride Lonesome, we meet a reflective artist, offering us tracks that are elaborately arranged, but – dare I say it – a bit boring. Still, there is enough warm and interesting tracks to earn a place in this month’s playlist.

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Too Close for Running – aron!

Soft pop

Jazz-inflected «cozy-pop» may not be the best recipe for chart climbing and wide attention, and few other reviewers have made the effort of listening to American aron!’s debut album. Which is unfortunate, because this young artist has given us a lovely, life-affirming collection of sweet and at times sophisticated tracks. Too Close for Running is a real climber in my chart.

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Songs in the Key of Life – Stevie Wonder

Pop/Soul

50 years ago, 26 year old singer Stevie Wonder released a double album, Songs in the Key of Life, and changed both his own career and I would argue pop music forever. Few albums offer as many hits and songs that have become part of the modern songbook . Now he is touring the world with a concert version of the album. I was lucky enough to attend when he visited Oslo. To hear the album live is an experience of a lifetime, but we still have this well-crafted double album available to us on all platforms, so if you’ve never listened to it, or if you haven’t experienced it from beginning to end since the 70s, make room in your schedule to do just that.

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Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder belongs in my Hall of Fame because he united qualities that rarely coexist at such a high level: his eminent songwriting, his recognizable singing voice and instrumental virtuosity both on keyboards and harmonica, as well as his groundbreaking production. His career stretches from the 60s until today. We tend to forget that he was a star already as a child. I have picked some songs from the early days all the way to today, but there are dozens more to choose from. It is said that Stevie Wonder turned social criticism into irresistible music. I couldn’t agree more. Few artists have made music so sophisticated and still with the ability to reach such a broad audience.

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Adorable You – Vered

Kiddie Rock

I think this is the first time I include music from the kiddie rock genre. Perhaps Vered is the only artist in the category as well. She started out as a singer-songwriter of adult pop, but together with her son decided to create music for families with small children. The music is heartfelt, cute and quite emotional for adults as well. Although I don’t have small children now, I enjoy listening to some of these songs, Love between parents and children hasn’t been explored that much in pop music.

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Comes In Waves – Carly Simon

Singer-Songwriter

Carly Simon does not have to achieve any more, she has done it all, won Grammys, Golden Globes, even Oscars. Still she keeps on recording, even if she was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s and skin cancer. I have been a fan for decades, and this new album does not disappoint, her first in 18 years. Her sense of melody hasn’t been weakened over the years, her biting wit and honesty is still there, although the album is warm and reflective.

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Gentlewoman – Cleo Sol

r&b

Cleopatra Zvezdana Nikolic, or a bit simpler, Cleo Sol, is truly a gentlewoman and her music reflects it. If you enjoy classic soul and gentle r&b, this is the album for you. The music is soft, full of positivity, filled with warm harmonies and instrumentation.

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It Goes On – Westside Cowboy

Rock

Westside Cowboy has been greeted as one of 2026’s most exciting debuts, offering an interesting blend of indie rock, rockabilly and ’90s music. Particularily interesting is the fact that there are three distinct vocalists in the band, including Aoife Anson O’Connell, giving the band a distingushness that separates them from other similar groups.

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Pick of the Month

Just Say Yes – Ruthie Foster

Modern Blues

Happy blues? Yes it may sound like a contradiction in terms but still possible. Here is the proof, Ruthie Foster’s «Just Say Yes» She is a Texas-born singer-songwriter with a truly powerful voice, that I have seen compared to Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald. Raised in a gospel-singing family, she sang with the U.S. Navy band before going solo and record on her own. Optimistic and really, really groovy!

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The Music of A&M Revisited – Bill Cantos

Vocal Jazz

This album brings together a record company and an artist close to my heart. As a young music writer I always used to light up when a new album from the independent label A&M was released. And as an even younger songwriter I was blessed to work with Bill Cantos who arranged and recorded some of my songs when I was living in California. A massive lot of water under the bridge later, Bill, now a jazz artist of great renown, has released an album with songs from the early days of A&M, including tracks on which one of the funding artists, Herb Alpert, contributes. I particularily enjoy their rendition of Supertramp’s «Logical Song».

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Painting With Blue – Chuck Redd

Jazz

I hope you’re getting the joke: Painting with blue by Chuck Redd. Haha. The title isn’t completely fitting, though, because there are lots of upbeat standard tracks in happy major on the album. Chuck Redd is considered one of the world’s leading vibraphonists, but on «Painting with Blue» he shares the spotlight with many other artists – as he has done throughout his career, performing with jazz greats like Charlie Byrd, Mel Tormé and Dizzy Gillespie. Among others.

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THRASHER – Brandon Flowers

Country

Listening to this album, you may not recognize the voice of Brandon Flowers from The Killers, lead vocal on iconic songs like «Human». On «THRASHER» he moves into the land of Country, and not everyone is happy about it. Does his grand rock vocal really fit the genre of Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard? Well, listen and make up your own mind. I still prefer The Killers over Flowers as a solo artist, but I reserve the right to like this album, at least part of it, as well.

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The Users Guide to Being Human – The Script

Rock

Not everybody is happy with The Script’s new album either. The band from Dublin has recorded since 2001, and this is their eighth studio album and the first one without their founder, guitarist Mark Sheehan who died in 2023. Critics describe the album as overly safe and formulaic. That might be the case, but I still enjoy their arena pop as it is, with power and catching melodies.

WILD – KATSEYE

Electro-Pop

Just like Spice Girls in their time, KATSEYE is a band formed by music marketrs. The girls were winners of the reality series The Debut: Dream Academy. There are many reasons for true music lovers to leave such a band alone, but I still include their EP in my list, so that you can make up your mind independently. You see, the music is not bad, this is middle-of-the-road electropop, quite confident in style, and with songs that don’t necessarily sound like these are written by AI. Give it a go, so you know what you’re talking about when asked.

*****

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Nesten ikke tilstede – Jan Eggum

Pop/Folk

For the second time I’m adding a Norwegian-language album to the Classic album list. Jan Eggum is a brilliant Norwegian singer-songwriter, and for those of you who understand his lyrics, you know what exceptional quality there is in both lyrics and music. Eggum is an exquisite storyteller and a melody maker that deserves an international audience.

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The Manhattan Transfer

This is the group I have seen and heard most times live in my life, both in the U.S. and in Europe. They are unsurpassed as both live performers and recording artists of vocal jazz, swing, do-wop and pop. Sadly, Tim Hauser, who formed the band, is dead. Bass singer Trist Curless, who had already been filling in on tour, formally took his place in 2014. The group retired from touring in 2023, after more than 50 years on the road. But the recordings are still available, of course, and I have made the nearly impossible task of picking their best songs for you.

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Desert Queen – Pearl Charles

Indie

LA singer Pearl Charles’ third album is out, and it is an eclectic collection of interesting tracks, at times sounding Fleetwood Mac’y and with a touch of Californian rock. This is her best work so far, lush and pleasant.

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Ella – April Varner

Vocal Jazz

April Varner has bravely called her album Ella, but I refuse to make a direct comparison with the great Fitzgerald, this is more like a salute. She is performing most songs – all rather familiar – in her own style, original arrangements combined with new takes on her own vocal performance. Varner won the International Ella Vocal Competition in 2023, and no doubt she has a well trained voice, bringing new life to old songs.

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Pick of the Month

Foreign Tongues – The Rolling Stones

Classic Rock

Critics don’t seem to agree whether they like the octogenarian version of Stones or not. I have never had a deep-founded love for the band, but to me this is an album very much to my liking. It offers blues, disco, hard and soft rock, even a touch of country, very varied and self-secured. It seems like they «boys» are having fun, relaxing and doing what they know and enjoy best. I wish I will be as vibrant if and when I turn 80…

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Healthcare – Healthcare

Folk

Healthcare is the project of songwriter Stephen Canfield, who returned to music after roughly 20 years away following a chronic-illness diagnosis and the financial pressures of securing health insurance, hence the name of both his band and the album. This is a soothing and intimate album, maybe too low-key, but with a sincerety in both the songwriting and performance.

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In the Hour of Chaos – Allison Russell

Folk/Americana

It’s not easy to categorize the music of Canadian artist Allison Russell, and this collection is special in many ways, covering many genres and with as many as 28 guest artists contributing to a cohesive album full of musical surprises. The chaos referred to is not in the music but rather political and social, even personal.

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Is This Heaven? – STELLA LEFTY

Contemporary Country

Chicago-born Stella Lefty takes us into a universe of up-to-date country music, sometimes run-of-the-mill country, but often interesting country-pop, well worth listening to. It is a sincere collection of tracks with both acoustic instruments like banjo and guitar, always with Lefty’s young voice dominating.

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Little Miss Twain – Shania Twain

Country Rock

Shania Twain has already had her major hits, and I was anticipating more of the same, middle-of-the-road country pop. And yes, the album has its share of that. Still, Little Miss Twain is a highly personal album, and the best songs are about her personal life and history, how she became an artist selling millons upon millions of records. The duet with Tanya Tucker is by far the best track on the album.

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Music, Fashion, Film – Charli XCX

Rock

I was a little reluctant adding this album to this month’s playlist, because some of the tracks are clearly outside of what you would normally find in my lists. But there is no doubt that she is a highl accomplished artist and increasingly unique in the musical direction she is choosing. This is a departure from the music that made her famous, hyperpop and club music, and leaning towards true and inventive rock’n’roll. If you are intrigued, listen to the whole album, if not, stick to the tracks I have picked, these are adventerous enough.

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ROSA NO CÉU – Maria Luiza Jobim

Nova Musica

Maria Luiza Jobim is a Brazilian singer-songwriter who recently moved to Portugal. The result is a mix of South American and Portugues influences that is truly enjoyable, blending Nova Musica and bossa-nova with contemporary pop and Latin, fresh and airy.

Serenity – Veronica Mortensen

Vocal Jazz

On to an album of great vocal jazz, mostly new material but with a sophisticated feel, with roots in the best of middle-of-the-road jazz traditions. Veronica Mortensen has been around for a long time; this is the seventh album from the accomplished singer with roots both from Greece and Denmark.

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The Wow! Signal – Muse

Alternative Rock

The English band Muse is back, and very little has changed since their heydays in the 1990s. But it is a triumphant return, and if you enjoy their pompous, operatic rock, you will love The Wow! Signal. It gets to be a bit exhausting in one go, but listen to the picks I have made, you might like what you hear. As with the music, the themes and the scope of the album may also feel a bit over the top, about extraterrestial activity and the cosmos, but I forgive the pomposity of it all.

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There Goes Rhymin’ Simon – Paul Simon

Pop

We are back in 1973 and in my view on the most exciting albums every recorded. I am a great Paul Simon fan, but contrary to many critics, I admire his two first solo albums above what came later. There are so many excellent tracks on this album that I had an impossible task of choosing the best. In fact, the two greatest hits from the album, Kodachrome and Love Me Like a Rock, are my least favourites. American Tune has become a true classic, and St. Judith’s Comet is still moving like most other songs recorded. Something So Right also moves me to tears when I listen to it, from the beauty of both lyrics and music. And I could go on and on…

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Bee Gees

The seventh artist to enter my – very subjective – Hall of Fame is another great band, Bee Gees, but I add the band with some hesitation. I admire what the group accomplished in the disco era and beyond. Still, my admiration for them comes from the music they created before their falsetto period and superstardom following «Saturday Night Fever». Some of the best pop songs ever came with their first albums and I have added the greatest ones to the list, To Love Somebody,” “Massachusetts,” “Words,” “I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You,” “First of May,” “Tomorrow Tomorrow” and “Melody Fair”. The Bee Gees began as three brothers—Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb- Today, sadly, only Barry Gibb is alive.

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Castle Park – Graham Coxon

Britpop

Graham Coxon is better known as Blur’s guitarist, but he has released a few albums on his own. Castle Park is a remnant of recordings he did back in 2011 but never released then. It doesn’t bother me that it is «old», I still find the album fresh and fun, with sunny melodies and quirky arrangements.

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Emily Brimlow Sugarshack Sessions – Emily Brimlow

Popsoul

Emily Brimlow is a California singer‑songwriter whose work sits in a rootsy pop with a blues twang to her music. I rarely add concert albums to my list; I prefer albums that have been worked at in the studio, but I like the versions of songs that Brimlow are doing here, recorded in the famous Sugarchack venue in Florida.

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EQUILIBRIVM – ANITTA

Latin Pop

On to a 15-track project released in April 2026 by Brazilian superstar ANITTA, an album that balances Brazilian-rooted sounds with her international pop ambitions. She wants to grow, and it is her mix of samba with funk and pop that turns EQUILIBRIVM into more than your average latin album.

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Lifetime – Harmony Trividad

Pop

Many female artists try to stand out in the field of pop and indie, Harmony Trividad is one of them, and she only succeeds to a degree. Lifetime is an album with sensitive indie-pop with acoustic guitars, strings and decent songwriting. The lyrics are intimate and a bit sad on most tracks, but it is still a bit of sunshine her, enough to add Lifetime to this month’s list.

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November Embers – Gentlemen of the Woods

Folk/Americana

Gentlemen of the Woods are an Ottawa group, and this album offers the best within the genre of Americana, down-to-earth and no-frills, melodic and true folk music. This is their third album, but I really get the sense that these musicians have been around for a while, and as their band name suggests, true musical gentlemen.

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Swedish Jazz Standards – Asa Orbison

Vocal Jazz

Asa Orbison is a Swedish-American jazz singer, married to Roy Orbison Jr., and has decided to release an album of mostly American classic jazz anthems, but with Swedish lyrics, produced by her husband. The non-English lyrics add a twist to the songs, possibly for non-Swedish speakers as well, and the musicans she involves, like Ulf Wakenius on guitar, do a great job. These are straight forward interpretations – Asa Orbison doesn’t add much new to these songs – but I do enjoy listening to great songs performed by musicians who know their standards.

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Then Agian – Rodney Crowell

Country Rock

Veteran country singer Rodney Crowell has also dug into his old archive and found songs he recorded in the mid-2000s. He felt the album was premature back then. I have to say it surprised me to learn that these songs were written and recorded over 20 years ago, because they sound fresh and coming from a man who have lived a long life. Still, I enjoy the reflective and poetic songs as if these were written today, innovative and enjoyable country rock.

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PICK OF THE MONTH

Visitor – SIENNA SPIRO

Pop Soul

If you are longing for new music by Adele and RAYE, dive into this lovely new album by Sienna Spiro, a torch-song London-artist and one of the new stars of cinematic and classy pop soul. The Visitor is such a confident album, filled with vintage piano ballads, lush arrangements , and Spiro’s voice that are both old-soul and contemporary at once.

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You seem pretty sad for a girl so in love – OliviaRodrigo

Singer-Songwriter

I wrote earlier that many female artists try to succeed in the indie singer-songwriter field, and Olivia Rodrigo has already established herself as one of the most successful ones. This new album adds to her success, blending vulnerability with bite, as one reviewer put it. Yes, these are both sarcastic and self-mocking songs, but equally vulnerable and emotional. There is too much dreamy bedroom pop on the album for me to love the full release, but as usual I have picked the best tracks for you.

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Breakfast in America – Supertramp

Rock

Supertramp were a British band that specialised in a distinctive blend of pop and rock, with Rick Davies and Roger Hodgson giving the group its dual personality. Breakfast in America was their true breakthrough and an album that introduced the band to me. And introduced the Wurlitzer keyboard as well! Rick Davies put it in the centre in so many of the monster hits from the album and created this concise Supertramp sound. The songwriting was smart and ironic, as was the recognizable cover. Rick Davies sadly died last year, but the Superstramp story had ended long before. The guys split up as early as 1983, but luckily they gave us a couple of albums of fantastic pop music first.

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The Beatles

The sixth artist to enter my – very subjective – Hall of Fame had to be The Beatles. How could you take me and my Hall seriously without the greatest band ever in there? I have already included a number of their albums in my Classic Albums section, so the songs I have given you in the month’s list are all from other albums and singles, and these all have in common that they still are all-time favourites of mine. How one band could produce so much incredible pop music is beyond belief, but with three songwriters like Harrison, Lennon and McCartney on the team, we might have the answer right there. In addition, all fab four were excellent musicians and singers. Luckily all four of them continued to play and create music after the split. In fact, some of the best music from the four came after 1969. But listening to the quartet together, even when they in the end only functioned as backing musicians for each other, is still an unbeatable experience. I have been so lucky as to have experienced 50% of them together live, at a sad occasion remembering George Harrison, and I have been to one of McCartney’s solo concerts, but I will never stop envying those who actually caught the full band live.

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Bloom – Lady Nade

Indie

Let’s start in Bristol, England, with Lade Nade, an artist that draws comparisons to artists like Nina Simone, Joan Armatrating and perhaps even Joni Mitchell, with her a bit peculiar voice, warm melodies and songs drawing on personal experience.

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The Boys of Dungeon Lane – Paul McCartney

Classic Rock

The Boys of Dungeon Lane from the man who never rests is a late‑career highlight, a warm, nostalgic record where McCartney looks back on his Liverpool childhood and early days with the Beatles. There are many songs to love on the album, but the variety in style that we have gotten used to after McCartney went solo isn’t there. Not that it matters all that much, I thoroughly enjoy the storytelling, the music and his rusty, octogenarian voice.

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DARKSTAR – ARY

Techno Pop

ARY (Ariadne Loinsworth) is an Oslo‑based singer, songwriter and producer who operates in the space between electronic pop and art‑pop, known for building entire records in her own studio. DARKSTAR is no exception. It is a truly contemporary album, but even for those of us who prefer music with roots, this is an album with lots of well-crafted pop, melodies that stick and are polished and memorable.

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Florescence – Maisie Peters

Pop

Maisie Peters has become one of the key next generation pop storytellers – often compared to Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. She started out as many do these days, busking in the streets, publishing on YouTube and TikTok, but I really have to admit that she has grown into one of the most exciting new artists around. Her songwriting craft is impeccable, her wit is sharp. She is clearly a cut above the rest who chose the same path to potential success. Yes, it is cute and mellow and «dear diary»-laden, but give it a go nevertheless.

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In Times of Dragons – Tori Amos

Singer Songwriter

Tori Amos has really been around for a while, this is her 18th studio album, and I have to say up front that she hasn’t always been my favourite, I have found both her mezz0-soprano voice and her piano style a bit much. I am not thrilled by this album either, but there is enough good stuff and great intentions here that I would still recommend it. It is a kind of a concept album fuelled by her fury of trumpists and billionaires without concience. The music is surprisingly rich and varied, at times even symphonic. I have picked the tracks that appeal to me the most.

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Into the Unknown – JJ

Operatic Rock

JJ (or Johannes Pietsch) won Eurovision Song Contest for Austria in 2025 with Wasted Love, an operatic ballad that did reasonably well in the international charts. He’s combining a trained operatic voice with modern pop and indie elements, and Into the Unknown is the first document of that blend. He is not only trying to ride the wave of his ESC win, but the jury is still out to wether this EP will give him staying power beyond his initial success.

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Look for Your Mind – Lemon Twigs

Retro Pop

If you can’t stop reminiscing about the wonderful 1960s, get your headphones out for Lemon Twigs’ latest. It is as if Beach Boys, Beatles, Herman Hermits and The Mersey sound have risen from the dead. But this is not a museum piece in any way. Ihe songs are surprisingly fresh, and I’m sure many of these would have become hits back in the 60s. It is the perfect Summer record, so full of sunshine and wonderful harmonies. Lemon Twigs continue to impress.

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MAITREYA CORSO – Maya Hawke

Indie Pop

Maya Hawke is a singer‑songwriter and actor whose records sit in a folk‑leaning corner of pop, known for image‑rich lyrics, gentle melodies and a voice that has grown a little gruffer over the years. She is the daughter of actor Ethan Hawke, but has managed to get out of his limelight. I am excited about this new album, mainly because it offers great melodies and crafty songwriting. I realize there are some deep thoughts about both the title and many of the lyrics – she has created an alter-ego persona, but it hasn’t effected me. To me it is a good pop record. Period.

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Philadelphai’s been good to me – Kurt Vile

Art Pop

Kurt Vile is a Philadelphia‑born singer‑songwriter and guitarist, often described as indie‑rock’s most easygoing dude, and his drowsy style of singing, reminiscent of Neil Young, perhaps even Nick Cave, is what sets him apart. It took a while for me to get used to his singing style, but I have learned to like his easygoing tone. The album is a kind of a homage to his home town.

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SE9 – Skye Newman

Singer Songwriter

22-year old Skye Newman’s music offers a soul/R&B‑leaning pop, not that different from Amy Winehouse and Miley Cyrus. SE9 is autobiographical and painfully honest. She writes unflinchingly about family trauma, identity and female friendship. Her feisty style together with great songwriting makes this a worthwhile listen, and offers great promise for the future, since this is her debut album.

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Tailspin – Eleni Mandell

I have been waiting patiently for Eleni Mandell’s new album, and finally, after seven years, here it is. Tailspin is presented as a “survival kit lullaby” written after a difficult period in her life, with divorce and single motherhood to deal with. The music is definitely genre‑blending, lots of American roots music, jazzy torch‑songs and elements of folk and country as well. If you like it, don’t hesitate to go back and listen to her previous albums, these are equally good.

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Trixies – Squeeze

Sophisti-Pop

I have been an avid Squeeze fan for ages, and if you have followed my blog you know I have covered them many times. Squeeze are UK pop veterans led by songwriters Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, long celebrated for their witty lyrics and memorable melodies. Their new album is not new at all; these songs were written when Chris and Glenn were teenagers and tried to put together a rock musical without success. Nearly 50 years later they went into the studio and recorded it all. I would say it has been worth the wait…

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Brothers In Arms – Dire Straits

Classic Rock

It is a bit embarrassing, but I never owned this album… It became a favourite of mine years after its release, so I am making amends here by naming it Classic of the Month. Brothers in Arms was released in May 1985 and became the record that turned Mark Knopfler’s band from cult favourites into global superstars, selling around 30 million copies worldwide and becoming one of the highest‑selling albums of all time. Deservedly so. It was written around the time of the Falklands war, hence the title. There is not a single track that isn’t pristine, and it is filled to the brim with classic songs.

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Ella Fitzgerald

The fifth artist to enter my – very subjective – Hall of Fame is Ella Fitzgerald. I was offered a ticket to one of her concerts in the late 1980s and I declined. What an idiot I was! Listening to her many concert albums, there is no doubt it would have been an experience of a lifetime, with one of the greatest voices ever to be heard on this planet. And surprisingly versatile, too, which I hope to prove with the tracks I have picked for you, covering her duets with Louis Armstrong, her Gershwin interpretations – including Porgy and Bess, her break-through record of A-Tisket-A-Tasket, her Beatles interpretation, and not the least her many defining versions of the American Songbook. I had to make some hard choices, so please go further on your own after you have listened to the way too few picks from me.

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The American Ballad Book – Carl Winther

Danish Jazz

Let’s start in quiet mode, with Danish pianist extraordinaire, joined by Rune Fog-Nielsen and Anders Mogensen, recreating some of the jazz greats from The American Songbook. This is a lyrical low-key exploration of the ballad tradition. Nothing you haven’t heard before, but still so nice and unpretentious.

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AVTT/PTTN – The Avett Brothers & Mike Patton

Country Rock

Art Rock meets Americana! One of my favourite bands, solidly placed in my Music Hunter Wall of Joy, The Avett Brothers have joined forces with Mike Patton, a musical chameleon who has tampered with most genres, and a terrific vocalist. The result is mostly fascinating, lots of close harmony folk, but with borders pushed towards more futuristic music than we have heard from the Brothers before.

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COME CLOSER – TOMORA

Art Pop

Another strange cooperation – or should we say collusion? Pop sensation AURORA meets Tom Rowlands of Chemical Brothers, and dance music from the 1990s occur. This is mostly too way off for me, I have never been a great fan of Chemical Brothers and loved most of what AURORA has delivered. Still, I am strangely fascinated by the music on this album, very personal and true from both even when they merge their music together.

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Cruel World – Holly Humberstone

Indie Pop

Holly Humberstone is an English singer‑songwriter who broke through with intimate, bedroom‑pop. She has become known for vulnerable lyrics and introverted indie music, but with Cruel World, her second album, she moves into more mainstream pop, and although you recognize where she is coming from musically, I find this collection worthwhile to listen to.

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For The First Time, Again – Tyler Ballgame

Indie Pop

Tyles Ballgame has this powerful voice, one easily compares him with other power vocalists like Ian Gillian and Freddy Mercury, even though they’re very different. Yes, he gives us theatrical power ballads in between solid pop tunes, but Tyler Ballgame is his own man, and classic rock at its warmest.

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Full Circle – Tom Misch

Indie Soul

Let’s make a full switch. Londoner Tom Misch has little in common with Tyler Ballgame. His singing style is sweet and mellow, his songs simple and even introvert, the typical singer-songwriter, but adding a rare jazz and soul feel to indie music.

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Just Be You – Caroline Wiles

Singer Songwriter

Canadian singer Caroline Wiles is a mature artist, and her new album is supposedly comprised of songs offering encouragement and advice to her teenage daughter. This is a warm, soulful and encouraging record, and I can easily inderstand that it may serve as positive encouragement for more than teenagers.

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Middle of Nowhere – Kacey Musgraves

Contemporary Country

Nobody else cares, but I am quite proud of myself that I «discovered» Kacey Musgraves long before she grew to be a superstar. Now she is loved by «everyone», and any new release from her is well received, including her latest, Middle of Nowhere. And deservedly so, she is still churning out pop and country of the highest quality. Her melodic instints are intact, and even better: this sounds like the Kacey I first heard a decade ago.

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New Times Better Times – Sigrid Lygren

New Jazz

I found Sigrid Lygren because she was quoted as saying my daughter Karoline was one of her inspirations, that was very touching. But the album deserves to be listened to, this is a mix of jazz and pop and folk, creatively done and with an accomplished vocalist at the centre of it all.

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BONUS

The Best of Eurovision 2026

Half of you hate me doing this every year, but I keep on giving the Eurovision songs the same test: I listen to them without knowing what country they represent, without watching any videos or performances, and I pick the songs that I think offer the best songwriting, regardless of frills added later. It is after all a songwriter competition. This year I have ended up with the following: Switzerland, France, Norway, Malta, Belgium, Latvia, Portugal, Denmark, Luxembourg and Poland. Many of these didn’t even make it to the final. But then again, my task was not to pick the winner.

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Det året det var så bratt – Øystein Sunde

Norwegian Pop

For the first time, a Norwegian-language classic. This was one of the first LPs I bought, back in 1971, and it influenced my musical taste, my humour, my own music, for years to come. Sunde went on to be a true superstar in Norway, both because his quirky literal humour and intricate wordplays, his ability to laugh at ourselves without malice, but also because of his songwriting qualities and being an extraordinary instrumentalist, particularly as a guitarist. For my non-Norwegian listeners I have included a few of the instrumental tracks on the album, also because they illustrate the latter point.

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Harry Nilsson

The fourth artist to enter my Hall of Fame is none other than Harry Nilsson, which shouldn’t suprise anyone reading my blog. What a career! What a voice! He is credited with two major classic hits: «Without You» and «Everybody’s Talkin'» , but there is so much more to love, and I have added tracks from many of his albums throughout his career. Harry Nilsson was celebrated for his elastic, multi‑octave voice and studio inventiveness, despite famously avoiding touring and live performance. He only performed a few times, as guests of other performers. His most famous live moment is the only time he ever performed “Without You” on stage, when Ringo Starr brought him out during an All‑Starr Band show at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in 1992. He wrote pop that ranged from tender, piano‑led ballads, to Beatles‑infused pop, and a lot of hilarious and funny songs in the style of Monty Python. He also released an album of songs from the American Songbook, which proves his ability as one of the best crooners on the planet. The Beatles, Randy Newman, the Python boys and countless peers revered him, and John Lennon did a full album with him, unfortunately at a time when his life was chaotic and marked by heavy drinking. His lifestyle contributed to serious vocal damage and a gradual retreat from the spotlight in the late 1970s and 1980s. But he kept singing and recording, until he had a fatal heart attack in 1994. What a loss to music.

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Burning Bridges Into Dust – The Strumbellas

Folk Pop

Let’s start in Canada, with The Strumbellas and their new EP. I was not familiar with the band, so although many reviewers seem surprised how toughened up the band has become, I quietly accept that this is how they sound. And I thoroughly enjoy the big, melodic hooks, the sing-along quality of some of the tracks and the hopeful and life-affirming sound. Maybe I need to go back and listen to their back catalogue…

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Fête Foraine – Christophe Maé

French Pop

Christophe Maé has been around as a best selling French artist for more than a decade. He is now in his fifties, and his new album reflects it, both in music and in the lyrics – although I have to rely on French speakers to confirm the latter. I find Maé not the typical French chanson singer, I like the melancholic twist to many of the songs and the unpredictable turns in his compositions.

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Hurts Like Hell – Charlotte Cornfield

Toronto Indie

Canadian singer Charlotte Cornfield is one of Canadian indie music’s best storytellers, mostly about herself and her personal life. But on her new album she has obviously been inspired by bar conversations, horrible parties, and by recent childbirth, possibly explaining the album title. Still, this is an enjoyable album musically as well, with light and band-driven tracks, fitting so well with her narrative lyrics.

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Mud Blood Bone – Cat Clyde

Canadian Singer-Songwriter

Cat Clyde is another versatile artist from Canada, giving us music within a wide range of genres. Her love of classic blues and country is obvious, but Mud Bloody Bone also introduces us to rockabilly and straight singer-songwriter material. One of my favourite albums this month.

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Off The Fence – The James Hunter Six

British Blues

Here comes another slice of vintage soul, except that it is not vintage at all, but brand new. James Hunter has been active for decades, though. His distinctive voice and his groovy music, particularly together with his five pals, are a true treat for my ears. The tracks are short and punchy, with a happy vibe.

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Ricochet – Snail Mail

Baltimore Indie

Snail Mail is the project of American indie‑rock musician Lindsey Jordan, who emerged in the mid‑2010s and quickly became known for emotionally direct, guitar‑driven songs.Her music has an element of dream pop in it that I don’t particularly like, but there is also a sincerity in her music that makes me continue to listen.

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Shades of Gil Evans – Bohuslän Big Band

Modern Big Band

Bohuslän Big Band is a Swedish jazz orchestra based in Gothenburg, originally formed as a military band, I would say one of the best big bands anywhere. This time they have made a concept album as a tribute to legendary Canadian band leader Gil Evans. Most of the music on this album is a bit outside of the scope of my blog, but I have picked a few tracks that hopefully will invite you to listen to other great, and possibly more accessible albums by this band. A fun fact: The recording was actually made about 18 years ago and shelved, so its 2025 release has been presented as a kind of “lost” project finally seeing daylight. Which is another good reason to listen.

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Taracá – Jorge Drexler

Candombe

Candombe was completely unknown to be before I listened to this great album by Uruguayan Jorge Drexler. The genre is described as an Afro‑Uruguayan music and dance tradition built around interlocking drum rhythms, emerging in Montevideo in the 18th and 19th centuries among enslaved and free Africans and their descendants. Interesting, of course, but you don’t have to be a candombe afficionado to listen to Drexler’s music. I recognize both samba, flamingo and general latin rock in his songs, which is more familiar to me than candombe.

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THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE. – RAYE

UK Contemporary R&B

Rachel Keen, aka RAYE, is in my view one of the most adventurous and fearless British pop artists of her generation, and this album is close to being a masterpiece. Here she merges jazz, big band, soul, blues and orchestral pop with a self-confidence bordering on arrogance, but still with a vulnerability that makes me choke just listening to her. The album is like a musical, it has guests appearing, like her grandfather and Al Green, she has a full track of credits in the end, she sings, she roars, she talks to us. It is like nothing you have ever heard before.

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BONUS

Møter med folk – The Soundtrack

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Last week my latest book was released in Norway, «Meetings with People – twenty celebritues, one call girl. And me» In it I am recounting my meetings with famous people as an insecure freelance journalist in the 1970s and 1980s. I have made a playlist of music to accompany the book, music made by artists like Cliff Richard, Alan Price, Mike McGear, Harald Sæverud, Ole Paus, Anne Marie David and others. It is a mix that makes more sense if you’re reading the book, but the music is great in itself, so have a listen even if your first language isn’t Norwegian…

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Read My Lips – Lou Ann Barton

Texas Blues

Though Lou Ann Barton never broke into the mainstream of pop music, I would say she is one of the great modern blues vocalists, with Read My Lips standing as perhaps her definitive album, released in 1989. I discovered her in 1982 when her «Old Enough» album was released, and I was so intrigued by her raspy voice and her tough R&B music, most of which were covers. Still, it is Lou Ann Barton’s versions that stick with me, not the originals, like «It’s Raining» and «Rocket in My Pocket».

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David Gates

The third artist to move into my newly created Hall of Fame is David Gates, the man who has had one of those quietly far‑reaching careers: a behind‑the‑scenes writer and producer who then became the soft‑rock voice of the 1970s with Bread, and who has spent the last few decades largely retired and out of the spotlight. He is originally from Oklahoma, but most of his success was made in Los Angeles, first as a writer for others, like the Murmaids and Monkees. In 1968 Gates formed Bread with Robb Royer and Jimmy Griffin, and turned the band into one of the great easy listening successes of the 1970s, with hits like “Baby I’m‑a Want You,” “Everything I Own,” “If,” “Diary,” “Aubrey” and “The Guitar Man.” David Gates moved on the be a successful solo artist as well, and many of his best compositions are from this period. Today he lives quietly on his farm and doesn’t record any more, but his previous work is still out there – now also in my playlist.

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BRITPOP – Robbie Williams

Dance Rock/Euro Pop

Let’s start with the return of Robbie Williams and the 1990s. You might have forgotten both. I have to admit that part of the new album doesn’t thrill me at all, but there is enough of good, energetic music to make listening worthwhile. I have picked the best tracks for you, I hope. The album title tells you what kind of music you can expect, and Williams performs with a great dose of self-confidence. but also self-awareness this time. The album includes that missable official FIFA anthem for the coming World Cup. But you might as well get used to hearing it….

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Don’t Call Me Baby – Sabine McCalla

New Orleans Americana

Next, a musical trip to the city of New Orleans and singer Sabine McCalla’s debut album. I would argue it is hard to pin down McCalla genre-wise, and why should we? This is a warm, impressive, extremely varied album from an artist we are bound to hear from again, so just enjoy it and let every track surprise you.

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Esperança – Nancy Vieira & Fred Martins

Capeverdean folk/Deep Brazilian Pop

I have just spent more than three weeks in beautiful Portugal, and listened to the unhurried music of Cape Verdean and Brazilian artists Nancy Vieira & Fred Martins. If you really need to wind down, get into this silky voice-and-guitar collection. I picked up quite a lot of Portuguese while I was in the country, but never enough to understand much of the Portuguese lyrics. That didn’t matter much, the album still offers peace, quiet, without ever sounding sparse.

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locket – Madison Beer

Pop

Justin Bieber supposedly discovered Madison Beer when she started posting cover songs on YouTube in 2012. Fast forward to 2026 and her third solo album, and she still sounds like a teen-pop artist at times. However, quite a few of the Locket tracks are considerable more mature and interesting than her previous stuff. The music is elegant and polished, and her vocal performance is confident and controlled.

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The Parlour – Picture Parlour

UK post-punk

It’s time for glamrock from one of the most hyped band of the year so far, Manchester-based (almost) girl band Picture Parlour. Lots of energy both in the vocals and the prodction itself; this is so much on the other side of the scale than Nancy Vieira/Fred Martins and even Madison Beer. Still, I enjoy the ride, hopefully you will, too.

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Sanger fra et menneske – Terje Formoe

Norwegian folk

My friend Terje Formoe never rests, and throughout the last decade he has released a fair number of albums of narrative, lyric‑driven intimate folk songs in the singer‑songwriter tradition. His latest (translated «Songs from a human being») is in my view his best to date. Some tracks, like the anthemic «Bortenfor alt», comes with lush full orchestra arrangement, perfectly matching Formoe’s sensitive voice and his able lyrics.

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Scenes From Above – Julian Lage

Contemporary jazz guitar

Julian Lage was a child prodigy and performed at the Grammy Awards at the age of 12, and has since been regarded as one of America’s finest jazz guitarists. His new album is gentle and beautiful, not necessarily with tunes that stick in your mind, but rather offering moods and atmosphere. I love listening to his soothing music.

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Sinners – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

I was not at all surprised when the original soundtrack for «Sinners» won an Oscar for best original score, I was more surprised when the song «I Lied to You» did not win best orignal song. Because this is a truly original album, as is the film, covering more genres than any new album out, and not only Delta Blues. I love listening to the Irish ballads and American tracks as well. If you wake up one day feeling bored, listen to this album from start to finish, you’re bound to feel invigorated.

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Tomorrow’s Yesterday – Karin Krog

Norwegian jazz

One of the greatest living jazz vocalists, Karin Krog, has recorded a new album at the age of 88. That’s hard to beat. It is in no way a sensational collection, rather it is secure, timeless album, with quite a few notable interpretations of jazz standards, performed in Krog’s inimitable style.

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The Wind Doesn’t Blow This Far Right – Lisa O’Neill

Irish Singer-Songwriter

One would think that the troubling times we live in would foster a number of protest singers and politically charged songs. The 1960s taught us the values of politically conscious artists. Lisa O’Neill could have fitted in perfectly, that’s why it is so important to listen to her now. The title song of her EP is the best example, a lament for humanity, full of anger and defiance.

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Your Picture – The Sha La Das

Souldies

It is possibly the doo-wop sound of the Sha La Das that gives me the feeling that this band has been around forever. Well, Bill Schalda has been around for a while, since the 1960s, but he quit the music business for decades, before forming Sha La Das with his three sons in 2018. Doo-wop can be summed up as «a 1950s vocal harmony style of rhythm and blues, built around a tenor lead, close‑harmony backing voices singing nonsense syllables, simple chord changes, and teen‑romance lyrics», which is what you get on «Your Picture». In small doses this is enjoyable and impressive.

Bonus 1 🐣

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I love Jason Segel and Harrison Ford’s warmhearted comedy series Shrinking. I equally love the soundtrack, not only the main title theme by Benjamin Gibbard (now in my list as well) , but the collection of fantastic tracks the producers have found to use in the series. Here is a playlist made by Romanoid Androidoff (sic). When you need a break from Music Hunter for a short while, switch to this, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Bonus 2 🐣

I am eagerly awaiting Paul McCartney’s new album, Dungeon Lane, which I will share with you when the time comes. Here is the first release from the album, a lovely ballad that couldn’t have been written and performed by anyone else.

Bonus 3 🐣

My daughter Karoline Wallace has released her new album Eon, a mix of modern jazz, folk and pop, highly experimental. I am so touched that she has also used one of my unreleased songs, «Live for Today», as a background for one of the tracks. The themes for the album are rocks, geology and indefinite time, so she has used rumbles as an introduction to the song itself.

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The Honeydrippers Vol. 1 – The Honeydrippers

Rock’n’roll

Welcome to the shortest classic I have ever shared with you, it is fair to call it an EP. The Honeydrippers is the 1981 brainchild of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, who wanted to form a rock band with a traditional rhythm and blues basis. He got people like Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Brian Setzer and Paul Schaffer involved and turned the idea into a supergroup (much like George Harrison and his friends did with Travellin Willburys). There are no original songs on the album, but it has a distinct sound, and with Plant’s powerful voice up front, what is there not to love? It is a perfect sing-a-long-record, and I remember it being compulsary at any party in the early 1980s. On the remaster version in 2006, the record company added a live version of «Rockin’ at Midnight». I couldn’t resist adding it to the list, so you get to hear the Roy Brown tune twice.

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Annie Lennox

The second artist in my very personal Artist Hall of Fame is one of the greatest voices ever, Annie Lennox. She har received more prestigious awards than this, of course, both as a solo artist, and as member of the duo Eurythmics, with Dave Stewart. She has performed some of the most iconic pop and rock hits ever with Eurythmics, but I commend her as much for her many brilliant covers – I would say she reshapes and reimagines some of the songs, giving listeners like me an all new experience. Among the best examples are Paul Simon’s «Something So Right» and Procol Harum’s «A Whiter Shade of Pale». This is also an artist with a conscience, her latest engagement for the Palestinian cause is a recent example. I have regretted never attending a concert with her, nor with Eurythmics, but one can always hope the opportunity rises in the future.

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Airline Highway – Rodney Crowell

Let’s start the year with the godfather of Americana, Rodney Crowell. His late-in-life new release is country music at its best, from one of the best songwriters of the genre. There are few of the common country cliches on the album, instead it is a light hearted collection from a man matured. Terrific.

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A Bridge Too Far – Midlake

Texas band Midlake has been around for quite a while, too. A Bridge Too Far is a luscious, warm album, with lovely harmonies wrapped around great songwriting. I find it takes a while getting into the songs, but if you like folk-rock and quiet rock, this might be for you.

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Echo In The Dust – Julianna Riolino

Canada is often overshadowed by the U.S. in the music press, which is unfair in so many ways. Here is another great new Canadian artist, Julianna Riolino, giving us sometimes gritty, other times soft rock and pop. Her voice is always on the attack, reminding me of more famous voices like Linda Ronstadt and perhaps even Roy Orbison. Listen and you might agree.

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Foxes in the Snow – Jason Isbell

Fans of Americana should particularly enjoy this month’s playlist. Here is the first album in a decade from Alabama-born singer Jason Isbell, one of the Americana greats. This is a completely stripped-down album, with Isbell and his 1940 Martin accoustic guitar, and with heartfelt and intimate songs about break-up and life transitions.

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LUX – ROSALÍA

Catalan singer Rosalía was already a major international star before the 2025 album LUX was released. But fame knows no boundaries when it takes off, and the album was hailed both as one of the best albums of the year, but also as a breakthrough for fusion of musical genres. Rosalía combines classical instruments, latin, pop,electronic music to create an album so distinctive and different that it will stand out for years. As with classical music, Rosalía’s music demands attention, but the reward makes it worth it.

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Magnetic North – The Canoes

I have to admit I though The Canoes was a band from the American Midwest, until I learned it is a group of mature Norwegian male artists, who had enjoyed successes with other great local bands in the past, and now just wanted to have fun. Maybe that explains why this album is relaxed and, yes, fun, with catchy songs and great songwriting, a happy album as an antidote agains the sombre mood of the world these days.

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Oblivion – Alice Phoebe Lou

Alice Phoebe Lou is a South African singer‑songwriter who began as a street performer in Europe after leaving school, busking in cities like Berlin and building a word‑of‑mouth following. She has self-published most of her albums, including Oblivion – and as supporters of the diversity of this industry we ought to support artists who decide to take matters into their own hands. Especially when the result is as good as Lou’s latest album, intimate, stripped-down and simple, blending pop and jazz and folk.

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Sad and Beautiful World – Mavis Staples

At 86, most people still alive decide to quit their day job. Not Mavis Staples. She started her career as sould and gospel singer back in the 1950s. This is her 14th studio album, a collection of covers by artists like Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits. This quiet and underplayed collection is a true treat. Her voice is definitely wethered, but it suits the songs so well. And her choice of songs point in the direction of hope and perseverance.

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Selenites! Selenites! – Jimi Tenor Band

What about a band based in Finland playing happy Afro beat, brass-band jazz and soul. No? Yes! Give it a try. Jimi Tenor is a Finnish multi-instrumentalist with lots of good music buddies, forming the Jimi Tenor Band. The sound is unpolished and rattled, but full of warmth and fun.

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Valentine – Courtney Marie Andrews

I wrote earlier that this month’s playlist should please Americana listeners. Courtney Marie Andrews’ new album should please a wider audience than Americana afficionados. I have followed Andrews’ career since she started and always liked her output. On Valentine she excels both as a songwriter and singer. This is quite a collection, of intimate songs, subtle but still lush and sophisticated.

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Vendrán Suaves Lluvias – Silvana Estrada

Silvana Estrada recently won a Latin Grammy for Best New Artist, establishing her as one of the leading voices in Latin indie folk. Her new album (translating to «There will come soft rain») is softly intense, with simple arrangements embracing her voice. This is true and genuine Latin music.

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Woman of Faces – Celeste

It feels right to end this month’s album presentation with an album that is best enjoyed late at night with low lights and a long day behind you. Celeste’s music draws on classic jazz and soul while sounding distinctly contemporary. Her previous album was my favourite album of the year (you’ll find it in the list I introduced in December of last year, Music Hunter Wall of Joy) I am also thrilled by her confident newest album, that will protect Celeste’s reputation as one of the leading soul voices in the world.

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52nd Street – Billy Joel

Billy Joel was a rising star when this album came out in 1978, but this was nevertheless his first number 1 album. He won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, and his fame spread across the globe. I was living in the U.S. at the time, and was lucky enough to attend one of his outdoor concerts in California a couple of years later. I was hooked for life. Why is the album so great? Well, Joel exceled as a sophisticated songwriter, a singer and a pianist. Phil Ramone, one of the hottest record producers in the 70s produced it, and the album was filled to the brim with hits.

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Alan Price

The first artist to get his plaque upon the wall of my very personal Hall of Fame is Alan Price. (There is no particular order to the artists I present, but they are of course all worthy of lifetime achievement praise…)

Alan Price, The Animals’ eminent keyboard player, will forever be associated with «The House of the Rising Sun», both as performed with the Animals and later as a solo artist, both tracks are in this month’s playlist. His fame piqued a few times more as well, particularly when the movie «O Lucky Man» was released in 1973, with music by Alan Price – and a start of an acting career as well.

I met and interviewed him in 1978. He had just released a brilliant new studio album, «England, My England» and was working on a reunion of The Animals (they tried more than once to restart). I found him absolutely charming extremely knowledgable on the history of rock and pop – and was even witness to a private performance of his own take on «House of the Rising Sun» (a story I write about in my new book «Møter med folk» («Meetings with People») to be released in Norway later this year.

Alan Price is consided one of the best keyboard players in rock’n’roll, but he should also be remembered for his vocal style – he sings as if his life depends on it – and his brilliant songwriting. I am particularly fond of his ballads, many of which you’ll find in the playlist.

He is now 83 years old, and is still performing now and then. Here he is, ready to perform in 2025: