Anette Olzon
Shine
earMusic
2014
Here’s a paradox. If Anette had never joined Nightwish – a cooperation that didn’t work for the band’s own benefit, only for Annette’s – probably she would never have become so popular in the rock/metal community and she wouldn’t have signed in a major label to release her debut solo work. I remember Anette in Alyson Avenue back in the day and not to be misunderstood, I always thought that she was a talented singer. She did experience too much in a small time period that some worked for her own advantage and some didn’t.
Anyhow, the time for her first solo album has come. I know for sure that most of the Nightwish fans won’t even get to listen to it as they did – for some strange reason – despise the period when Anette was in the band.
On “Shine”, Anette returns to her roots in a way… meaning that she moves into pop, pop-rock music with lots of symphonic elements and some folk & atmospheric ones. Don’t forget the kind of music Annette used to play with Alyson Avenue. Now she feels safe. She was never a soprano like Tarja and she needed more down to earth, easy-to-go tracks to be herself and enjoy singing.
The album was produced with the collaboration of some well-known names in the Scandinavian music industry such as: the producer Stefan Örn (songwriter and producer of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest winning track “Running Scared”), Johan Glössner and co-produced by Anette Olzon and Johan Kronlund (Houston, Lucky Soul etc.). The album was mixed by Johan Kronlund, Nicklas Flykt and Ronny Lahti (known for his work with Loreen and Roxette). Needless to say, the sound is crystal clear, soft and wonderful on the whole.
Anette is taking her own steps in the jungle called music industry. She has still the Nigthwish “shine” upon her… but if this album does not sell satisfactorily and if she fails to satisfy the ‘music system’ in general, then the rules of the game will rapidly change for the worse. Closing, “Shine” is a solid smooth album that has its moments without being anything exceptional or what. A few tracks can easily get air-play and offer a fine time to the listeners…
Anyhow, the time for her first solo album has come. I know for sure that most of the Nightwish fans won’t even get to listen to it as they did – for some strange reason – despise the period when Anette was in the band.
On “Shine”, Anette returns to her roots in a way… meaning that she moves into pop, pop-rock music with lots of symphonic elements and some folk & atmospheric ones. Don’t forget the kind of music Annette used to play with Alyson Avenue. Now she feels safe. She was never a soprano like Tarja and she needed more down to earth, easy-to-go tracks to be herself and enjoy singing.
The album was produced with the collaboration of some well-known names in the Scandinavian music industry such as: the producer Stefan Örn (songwriter and producer of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest winning track “Running Scared”), Johan Glössner and co-produced by Anette Olzon and Johan Kronlund (Houston, Lucky Soul etc.). The album was mixed by Johan Kronlund, Nicklas Flykt and Ronny Lahti (known for his work with Loreen and Roxette). Needless to say, the sound is crystal clear, soft and wonderful on the whole.
Anette is taking her own steps in the jungle called music industry. She has still the Nigthwish “shine” upon her… but if this album does not sell satisfactorily and if she fails to satisfy the ‘music system’ in general, then the rules of the game will rapidly change for the worse. Closing, “Shine” is a solid smooth album that has its moments without being anything exceptional or what. A few tracks can easily get air-play and offer a fine time to the listeners…