Review
Given the generally diabolical releases that come from winners of “Idol” competitions, at least here in Australia anyways (with a couple of rare exceptions), I have to confess that 2009 Swedish Idol Winner Erik Gronwall was already up against it when I became aware of his first proper album release“Somewhere Between A Rock And A Hard Place”. Sure he proved that he had an awesome rock voice, belting out killer version’s of 80’s rock classics “Run To The Hills”, “18 And Life” and “Shout It Out Loud”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean those that control the destiny of these Idol performers see the performer in the same way when it comes to the commercial reality of album sales!
Saying as much about the strength of the Swedish music scene as anything, supporting Erik Gronwall on this release is a who’s who of the local scene in the way of songwriting & production, making this a thoroughly enjoyable release. With songs ranging from fist pumping melodic rock, hook laden pop, radio friendly rock and more introspective acoustic ballads, with Gronwall vocally adapting to each change in style effortlessly. Production is as good as it get’s with some of Sweden’s hottest producers involved, none more notable than the duo of Anders Wikstrom (Treat guitarist) and Frederik Thomander who have lent their hand in 2009/2010 to some of hard rock’s most notable releases....Scorpion’s “Sting In The Tail”, Treat’s “Coup De Grace”, Gotthard’s “Need To Believe” and The Poodles.
Opening track and second single, “Take Me On” written by Europe’s, Joey Tempest is a very safe mid tempo modern rock number that will no doubt find it’s way to the top of the charts. The changing dynamics of “Uphill Climb” from heavy riffing to acoustic driven verses and catchy chorus reaches it’s peak during the breakdown when Gronwall hints at that voice that delivered some of those 80’s rock classics. “Try” and “Stay”, are both enjoyable radio friendly pop songs, but nothing remarkable.
It’s not until the middle of the album in“Crash And Burn” where the album starts to take off, which sounds like a rocked up version of Savage Garden at their most energetic, explained no doubt by the pedigree of the songwriting trio for this song having connections with boyband Westlife, however Niklas Jarl also co-wrote H.E.A.T’s chart topping anthem “1,000 Miles”!
“Destination Anywhere” is one of the albums killer tracks, a fist pumping melodic rock anthem that was co-written by Gronwall and one of the hottest melodic songwriters in the world today, Erik Martensson, lead singer from Eclipse and also involved in the recent W.E.T and First Signal projects. Put simply, this track could easily be featured on any of those projects...
The Paul Stanley and Andreas Carlsson penned “Timeless” has a Dianne Warren penned power ballad written all over it, more specifically channelling Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”. Actually, something just occured to me about this album whilst listening to this song.....guitar solo’s, a power ballad needs a guitar solo and this song doesn’t have one, nor does most of this album for that matter. Shame....
“Breathe In, Breathe Out” for those who have been loving Treat’s latest, feature’s the songwriting and production of that band’s guitarist Anders Wikstrom and this song does not disappoint. A killer melodic rock song with an explosive chorus that never wants to end a contender for one of my songs of 2010! “Walls Are Coming Down” also features the same production team. The album’s title track written by Nicke Borg from Backyard Babies is another of the album’s highlights. An upbeat acoustic pop rock number, it is typically Swedish sounding (at least to these Australian ears) and will appeal to anyone who is familiar with Per Gessle from Roxette’s and Joey Tempest’s solo work. “In Spite Of Me” a Max Martin penned number, is what you would expect from a Max Martin number, it has hit single written all over it, but could easily be recorded from anyone for whom he has written for before!
With album one featuring an all-star cast, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Erik Gronwall. With a background in punk rock and metal and with him proving to handle melodic rock and pop with aplomb....will he find himself stuck “somewhere between a rock and a hard place” trying to balance his own musical desires with the wants and needs of the Idol machine?
Official Press Release
Erik Gronwall is a Swedish singer and songwriter. In December 2009, he won Swedish Idol. He made quite an impression on the jury who reacted with a mix of crying and laughing after his audition singing Skid Row's "18 and Life". Erik performed several rock songs during the show; Kiss – “Shout It Out Loud”, Iron Maiden – “Run To The Hills” and Queen – “The Show Must Go On”. During several of the shows he received standing ovations from the jury for his performances.
His first single, "Higher", sold gold on digital downloads after only three days. His first self titled album, "Erik Gronwall" which includes songs performed during the Idol shows, was released just ten days after the finals and debuted at number one on the swedish charts and was certified platinum. Erik was born in Knivsta, a small town about 30 miles north of Stockholm. In his early years he attended a kindergarten with a special focus on music, where he found an early passion for performing arts[. Erik started his musical career with playing the guitar in a local punk/rock band. During high school his focus went from playing the guitar to more singing. His future as a singer really took shape for the first time as he performed the leading role as Galileo Figaro in the Queen musical "WeWill Rock You", doing a number of shows at Oscarsteatern in Stockholm.
Erik has just released his 2nd album “Somewhere Between A Rock And A Hard Place in June 2010.
