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American Heart – Benson Boone

Well, this wasn’t difficult to hunt out. Benson Boone’s path to fame has followed what has become a traditional route, building a following on TikTok, then move on to traditional media, making it on American Idol and moving on to superstardom, at least for a while. Still, I have enjoyed his sophomore album, maybe because it is summer, maybe because he undoubtedly has a brilliant voice, or maybe he deserves to be listened to, Give it a shot.

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Aperture – The Head and the Heart

The indie folk band The Head and the Heart has been recording for 14 years, and this is their sixth album. The sound is rich and melodious, lots of energy and joy here, even when the themes are more somber. I particularly like the mix of male and female voices, adding to the richness.

In medias res – Zimmermann

Zimmermann followed a similiar path as Mr Boone, using TikTok to build a follwoing, but strictly more locally, you might say. Singing in Norwegian will rarely give you a great international breakthrough, but I suspect he’s happy with the success he has achieved in Scandinavia with his down-to-earth pop, and poetic lyrics. I hope even non-Norwegian readers will enjoy his sound.

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I Quit – HAIM

This album wasn’t difficult to hunt for either. It was most likely a brilliant move by sisters Este, Danielle and Alana Haim to release their new album in the middle of the summer. But it wouldn’t have made much of a difference if the album itself weren’t good. Luckily it is. If you’re looking for versatile pop and rock, you have come to the right album. I feel as if I am taken on a musical journey, performed with utter confidence and honesty.

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Let It Shine Redux – Jeremy Fisher

I continue to give you stuff I normally wouldn’t give you. This time a re-recorded album from 2004, stripped-down and accoustic this time around. I have to admit: I didn’t know until I had grown fond of Fisher’s «new» album that is was in fact songs from 2004. There is a freshness here, the songs are bouncy and hummable. My first thought was to go back to the original, but I won’t. The redux is good enough for me, perfect for my summer mood.

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Milk for Ulcers – Sophie Auster

Sophie Auster is probably not happy about all reviews and interviews starting with her family connection. Yes, she is the daughter of authors Paul Auster and Siri Hustedt (two of my favourite authors, by the way). She – and her music and her career – can stand on her own two feet, as this great album shows. It is varied and raw, honest and a bit painful pop music, but it is musically accomplished and enjoyable.

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Que savons-nous de nous? – Léonard Lasry

Léonard Lasry encompasses the contemporary French chanson, with his deep, expressive voice. On his new album, recorded during the course of 10 years, every track is a duet, some with stars of the cinema, some with great French voices of pop and rock. It is an impressive collection.

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Remembering Now – Van Morrison

Van Morrison is back, and he’s in a good mood! Gone is his whining and complaining of his pandemic releases. Now he is writing love songs again, even a song called «Back to Writing Love Songs». He is looking back at important people and moments in his life, with great and upbeat melodies and ballads. What a thrill, probably his best album in many years.

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Rigmor på svenska – Rigmor Gustafson

Well, we have done French, we have done Norwegian, here comes a Swedish-language album. And if you’re not multi-lingual, I am sure you still will enjoy the music. Gustafson normally records in English, but this album is a homage to folk melodies from her own country and in her mother tongue. Not all songs fit her well, but the bunch I have chosen for you, gives you the best from her collection.

I have lots of interesting single material for you this month, a single released in support of Greenpeace by Jacob Collier and AURORA, a great new single from The Divine Comedy, and a release from Velvet Sundown, a band that is 100% AI-created. We will get more music like this in the future, but we should always remember that this is music stealing inspiration from real musicians. I have added Velvet Sundown only as a curiosity. In the future I will continue to give you music created by humans – as long as I know it is created by humans.

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Stay In Love – Minnie Riperton

Minnie Riperton had one of the most amazing voices in pop and soul music. Stay in Love was her first attemt at tapping into the disco movement, and although the album didn’t sell as well as previous releases, I still think it is a lovely collection of tracks, showing off her versatility and craft. It was released a year after her fight against breast cancer started, a fight that she sadly lost two years later. To think how many female voices we have lost early over the years: not only Minnie, but Eva Cassidy, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin and Kirsty McCall. The least we can do is remembering them by continuing to listen to their music.

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Animal Tracks – The Animals

In 1965, rock bands tended to release albums with a mix of original and original material. This second album from The Animals was no exception. Eric Burdon was the lead vocalist, but Alan Price put quite a mark on many of the tracks, with his energetic and original keyboard playing. The album is more interesting than good, in my view. Strangely they didn’t include their greatest hit ever, «House of the Rising Sun» on the UK version, that was released as a single only.