Sing and Dance in Bloomington, MN

At first,
Sophie Zelmani
's fourth album may sound laid-back and a little vague. But listen to it closely, at a high volume, and the air of being laid-back disappears, instead revealing a very sensitive album, intense in a careful and seemingly shy way. As usual,
Lars Halapi
is the producer and the sound is similar to his previous efforts with
Zelmani
-- a bit more solemn than
Time to Kill
, more country than the debut, and with some songs even more reminiscent of
Dylan
's
Oh Mercy
and
Time Out of Mind
than
Precious Burden
was. Commercially speaking,
should probably release something more different, something that would produce headlines and make it easy to differentiate between her albums, but artistically she has shown an unusual and determined development despite her clearly confined style. There may be a few more steps to take when it comes to her lyrics, but although
uses some standard phrases, she does manage to fill them with considerable sincerity. The other possible complaint is the perhaps overly consistent mood of the album (and of her last two albums), but
Halapi
have come close to perfecting this melancholy and sparse country-esque sound, as can be heard in
"Once,"
a duet with
Freddie Wadling
. ~ Lars Loven