‘Stronger’ is Sanna Nielsen’s first album in English. Why does she think now is the right time to record it? Her record company came up with the idea but this wasn’t the deciding factor.
“Bobby Ljunggren came to me and said ‘I wrote a song for you last night. Maybe we can try it out.’ I listened to it and liked it from the start. But could I sing it? Well….apparently I could since ‘Broken in Two’ is one of the tracks on my album."
Strong – A ‘strong’ opener which is contemporary in sound and leaves the other 13 songs with a tough act to follow.
Empty Room – This, of course, is the song which came 2nd in this year’s Melodifestivalen, despite being the overwhelming favourite of the Swedish public. It’s the strongest of the ballads on the album.
Nobody Without You – A mid-tempo, powerful song which sounds fantastic played loudly in the car with the window down.
I Believe It’s You – It starts slowly and builds to a quicker pace for the chorus, which it maintains for the rest of the song.
Heart of Me – While Sanna seems able to sing anything, it is ballads at which she excels. If ‘Empty Room’ isn’t enough evidence of this, then ‘Heart of Me’ closes the case.
Tomorrow Ends Today – This isn’t one of the strongest songs on the album. That said, it’s nice enough in its own right and certainly doesn’t have you reaching for the fast forward button.
Impatiently Waiting For You – Elements of soft rock appear in this song and it ticks along nicely.
Those Were the Days and Nights of Loving You – A pleasant surprise; this is the first country song Sanna has recorded. It’s easy to imagine this being a big hit in America and something that Trisha Yearwood would be proud to have in her repertoire.
Out of Reach – When Eurovisionary interviewed Sanna before the Melodifestivalen final, she told us that ballads have a special place in her heart. She makes her way effortlessly through this ballad.
But I Know What I Want – This song builds from the verses into the chorus. It sounds as if Sanna recorded it with a smile on her face.
Broken in Two – As mentioned earlier, it was this song which persuaded Sanna to record her first album solely in English. It’s easy to hear why.
Magic – John Farrar (remember “You’re the Voice”?) originally recorded this rock song but Sanna has made a very credible cover.
I Can Catch the Moon – You can never have too many ballads when they are this good! It’s from the pens of Bobby Ljunggren and Aleena Gibson who wrote “Empty Room”) with the help of Jörgen Ingeström.
This Is My Thanks – The final song sees another 1st for Sanna. It’s the 1st song she has recorded that she wrote. It’s a beautiful piano based ballad written for her late Grandparents. You can hear the emotion in her voice as she sings.
Links
Sanna Nielsen’s official site
Buy the album here
Eurovisionary.com interview with Sanna
