Kundalini
There is no doubt nostalgia sells particularly in the pop sector. Scan the daily newspapers and you’ll find lots of pop bands from the 1960s and 1970s still touring and playing to sold out audiences at large venues across the UK. The simple fact is the best pop music from those decades was based upon great melodies and memorable lyrics that provide great listening today even if you are not from that era. The name of Johann Helgason may not be one you are familiar with in connection with instantly catchy pop songs but he has been around for a long time and in Iceland he has an established reputation of being one of their most notable singer/songwriters. He has also performed with some very successul pop and rock bands in his time including material on 15 Gold and Platinum albums so he comes with blue-chip credentials. I was astonished that it has taken such a marvellous talent as Johann to come to my notice because this album is nothing short of a superb pop confection that will delight the aural senses (particularly if you are fed up with a diet of the ‘X’ factor factory produced pulp). Johann has a natural gift for coming up with brilliant melodies harnessed to great lyrics and he maintains the quality throughout the 17 songs on this album with aplomb – the hooks will have you singing along in no time! ‘Think It Over’ is a gloriously heroic opening track. Johann’s vocals are a distinctive blend of power and emotion; there is a touch of country on ‘Love Me True’ and ‘Be My Girl’ whilst ‘When You Fall’ is a heartbreaking paean to love. Discover Iceland’s great singer/songwriter and you’ll be singing along in no time! Highly recommended.
Franklin Charles Bishop
KEF
If Johann Helgason had been brought up anywhere else in the world than in this minutely-populated outpost of the civilised world, I think it quite probable that he would have become a pop superstar comparable to Phil Collins, Paul Simon, Billy Joel or even Elton John. His voice is certainly as good as any of theirs, and many of his songs closely approach the best that any of these superstars have produced. I have been of this opinion for years, and my view has been strengthened by listening to Johann Helgason´s new CD, KEF. This record contains one gem after another, and Johann´s singing here may well be better than it has ever been. To my mind, there are no weak points at all on this disc: the tracks merely vary in degree of quality. As a singer, Johann is in a class of his own. His voice has a smoothness and breadth that makes it more accessible than most, and when it is used as professionally as it is here, there can be no doubt that the result is bound to be good. Johann is a true, born artist, and not only in terms of his voice. His compositions are of the highest quality, and not just in Icelandic terms, but in comparison to “classical“ pop music abroad. This music has the feature of being timeless. KEF would have been a strong record ten years ago. The music on it is just as good today, and will be ten years later. This new record is full of “classic“ gems such as the final track “Be My Girl“ which to my mind is one of the best pop songs to have been composed in Iceland for many years. It is tempting to mention other songs which support this, such as “Think it Over,“ “Please Don´t Go“ and “Don´t Leave Me This Way“ just to name a few. Johann has gathered about him an excellent group of musicians to work on this album. Even though the undersigned is “over the moon“ about this new offering to the world of Icelandic pop from Johann Helgason, it remains quite possible that KEF may well escape the attentions of the average Icelander for various reasons. First of all, the disc has a “quiet, laid back“ feeling. More problematic may be the fact that the lyrics are all written in English. They have been written by Johann himself and one Reg Meuross, who I know little about, and are comparatively innocent meditations on the questions love, life and existence. They have all the signs of having been composed by a professional, and suit the music well. Even though they might not have any sharp social criticism that touches you deeply, many of them contain necessary reminders for us. Hopefully these features will not deter people from listening to this excellent record, because it’s well worth attention. KEF is undoubtedly one of the best three records that I have listened to this winter, and probably the one that is most likely to be regularly played not only this Christmas, but for a long time to come.
Sveinn Guðjónsson Morgunblaðið, 20. December 1996/Translation by Terry Gunnell
