television: The 12th regular season of TV 2’s “Hver gang vi møtes” boasts artists Karoline Krüger, Kristian Kristensen, Emma Steinbakken, Ingebjørg Bratland, Isah, Freddy Kalas and “himself” Bjørn Eidsvåg. The latter has been asked countless times, He finally said yes, hoping to reach a new – and younger – potential audience. And Eidsvåg was the guest star in tonight’s very long premiere broadcast from Kjerringøy in Nordland. As usual, we review songs continuously.
Freddy Callas: “Just One Man” (Eidsvåg)
“Barry Ain Man” party song? Better not. After Tix, Staysman and Katastrofe, it’s Freddy Callas’ turn. Frederick Awok, as his real name, begins with a heartfelt song about a man who does his best, but doesn’t get it done.
Kalas you don’t get it here either, even if you start flying visually. It doesn’t “hesitate” about it, but the soft original from 2004 is a bit “peppy” and ends up as a slightly hard party song. It adds up a little, so when Bjorn says it’s “a better copy than the original” and that it “sounds like it was written for Freddy Callas,” in my opinion, he’s at his best. The woodwinds certainly pack a real punch, but the serious text about the insufficient man fits neither the musical accompaniment nor the confetti very well. But oh well, here we go!
Ingebjørg Bratland: “Eternal Rest” (Eidsvåg)
This is powerful stuff! Eidsvåg is already empty in the eyes for Bratland sings, and things don’t get any better when she quietly performs the song he sang during a memorial service for the Utoya victims in 2011.
Eidsvåg notes that it’s one of his highlights, and Vinje’s “primal voice” doesn’t shame her. We certainly sang it with more “sincerity” in the cathedral, but fortunately Ingebjørg didn’t give in to the temptation of “The Goblin”. Here, on the contrary, it’s just the right amount of sobriety and sweetness, with strings and a choir of six – and Bratland’s lyrical, gorgeous voice. He could almost have written to her, but he still has Eidsvåg’s signature signature – even if he says he hears things in a new way and says, “I think I wrote them!”.
Caroline Kruger: “Clear Skies” (Eidsvåg)
Kruger’s career spans 36 years, since she sang on the all-vocal “Sing med oss” in 1986. Two years later, she won the Grand Prix with “For vår jord”. Here she gets a tough task when she has to follow Bratland.
We’re clearly in the “quiet corner” now. Piano and strings dominate the composition on an essential version valuable. Like his first two contributions, Kruger keeps the song within a well-known musical landscape. She is the security herself and sings it as if it were her own. It’s beautiful all the way, but also in the most subtle of ways – and a little boring. Here, more than Bratland’s version, I’d have liked for a slight change of pace, something to lift the song out of the vault and leave a little more imprint. But beautifully sung, that is!
Issei: “Anything you want” (Eidsvåg)
Caleb Isaac Ghebreyesus, better known as Issa, is the second youngest in this year’s season. He already has both the P3 Gull and Spellemann awards, millions of plays and Karpe collaborations behind him, but he has the merit of releasing an album.
“If I give you everything you want, you will be happy.”Rogalander sings. And here we get “everything”! Issa gave the evening’s big surprise a kind of “leading role”. Maria Mena “sneaks in” and starts what has become a classic duo here. Mina knows we sing well, but come on, Issa! Here, the 23-year-old has already garnered a huge fanbase that will be there for the rest of the season. The two have taken some liberties and added a new middle section that gives the otherwise fairly compliant song a little more life – and just makes it better. Then they sing beautifully together. The best yet!
Emma Steinbacken: “The River” (Eidsvåg)
Steinbakken’s version of Hellbillies’ “Eg gløymer deg aldi” from the TV series “Rådebank” has been streamed over 21 million times on Spotify, and her version of “Floden” in short order has over 1.2 million listeners on the same site. It’s already a hit.
“Floden” will be remembered by many as an Eidsvåg duet with Elvira Nikolaisen, but Steinbakken does “the whole job” himself. And she does it wonderfully. After so many songs that were quite ‘low’, it’s also a relief that something akin to rock was finally introduced – with ferocious drums! The 19-year-old sings with a passion, strength, and authority that touches everyone, and it’s impossible not to get up and “share.” When she had to do something with this semi-theatrical song, it became a break with “just” Emma and the rest of the band. I want to hear this again!
Christian Christensen: “I see” (Eidsvåg)
Eidsvåg’s greatest hit, of course, comes at the end. It’s a “fat sniffer,” says North Christensen. That’s why it’s hard to get caught up in just that. There’s a background here, too. Christensen was in a London pub when the shots rang out last summer, and this “national shrine” dedicated a song to the victims of the shooting — and to all queers in Norway.
Estimation is ambitious, and it would be foolish to settle for the same cautious and succinct level as Eidsvåg itself. A dramatic arrangement with strings and choir frames the almost soaring voice of Christensen, who recites the relaxed text with great sympathy. The cool magic in the song comes halfway through, when the music is muted and the words are swirling around – before it picks up steam again. A written example showing how a humble little song can become big and powerful in the right hands. Christensen raises it to another realm. Well done, perfect ending to the premiere!
Next week the program will return on Saturday evening, then with Freddy Callas as guest star.
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