I must confess I was not a huge fan of the last album I heard from Solberg, 2024’s ‘The Congregation Acoustic’, so when I realised he was releasing a second studio album I was not exactly jumping up and down with joy. This time around he decided to release an album which was highly symphonic, working with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra plus omusicians including drummer Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco), violinist Chris Baum (Bent Knee), guitarist Pierre Danel (Novelists) & bassist Jed Lingat, as well as guitarists Ben Levin (ex-Bent Knee) & John Browne (Monuments).
Conceptually this follows on from ‘16’ which was where he revisited the death of his father and his past struggles with anxiety, as here he provides an intimate portrait of himself and how he views the world in 2026. Everything I felt was wrong with his last album is right here, with the orchestra very much at the heart of the proceedings and the rock fitting in seamlessly, and then over the top are his incredible vocals. He is undoubtedly one of the finest singers in the industry and here he uses his complete range, whether that is going up the range into falsetto with no hint of strain or providing vocal gymnastics which makes one wonder where he is going next.
This is very different indeed to “just” a singer performing with accompaniment, but being instead being very much part of the band himself, and the only other person I can think of who has really achieved this is Ian Gillan more than 50 years ago when he used his voice as an incredible instrument when he was at the height of his powers. This is an album where the listener not only enjoys the highly cinematic and emotional approach, but also in somewhat in awe of what Solberg can do. It is very much a singer’s album, but this time it works incredibly well, and it is impossible to imagine this release without everything which is going on vocally. The result is something which feels more like opera, or a stage show, than an album with the listener being taken deep inside in a way which is quite incredible.
Rating: 9/10
Links:
https://einarsolberg.com/
https://www.insideoutmusic.com/