So, you weren’t looking for a singer who embodied the late Laura
Branigan? Well, here she is anyways. Swedish singer-pianist Frida
Hyvönen sounds scarily similar to the late singer (“Gloria”) from
the ’80s on “Dirty Dancing,” “Science” and “Birds,” three of the
album’s best songs. And, like Branigan, Hyvönen sounds both
powerful and pathetic (in the classic sense of the term), as if she’s
bordering on breakdown or ready to blow. It’s exciting to be kept on
edge wondering which it’ll be, even after plenty of listening.
Eighties-references aside, fans of Veda Hille and Christine
Fellows—sensibility and playing—will find a friend in Hyvönen.
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2009.
