Sunday, July 8, 2018

MERIT HEMMINGSON – Huvva! (EMI, 1971) / Trollskog (EMI, 1972) / Bergtagen (EMI, 1973) / Balsam (EMI, 1975)

There's something cheesy about a lot of what Merit Hemmingson has released over the years, but when her blend of Hammond jazz, pop and Swedish traditional music worked in her favour, it certainly has an appeal that is hard to resist.

Hemmingson began her recording career in the 60's, releasing a few albums including two on RCA Camden. Songs like ”A Taste of Honey”, ”Watermelon Man”, ”Can't Take My Eyes Off You” and ”Little Green Apples” saw her trying to make a name for herself in the instrumental soul jazz/easy listening mould. It wasn't until her first album for EMI that she found the folk music based style that made her popular act in Sweden with numerous TV appearances and respectable album sales. Her best albums are still highly rated by quite a few, and she even had a bit of a renaissance in recent years, and did a few shows with Kebnekajse.

Huvva! – Svensk folkmusik på beat (EMI Columbia, 1971)
Instrumental, wordless vocals
International relevance: ***

With the help from illuminaries such as Jojje Wadenius, Slim Borgudd, renaissance musician Sven Berger and noted folk fiddler Ole Hjort, Merit Hemmingson brought her vision to life. Leaving the crowd pleasing easy listening chestnuts behind in favour of exclusively traditional tunes, she carved out a niche that at the time was entirely her own. Her reputation of being the groove queen of Sweden began here, with swinging renditions of ”Gånglåt från Ovanåker” and the much loved ”Gammal jämtländsk brudmarsch”. But ”Huvva!” (a word in northern dialects roughly meaning ”crikey!”) has a fair amount of reflective moments too – the short ”Gammalståschans hjärtesuck” is laced with mournful wordless vocals, and ”Vindarna sucka uti skogarna” touches on Hansson & Karlsson at their most sombre.

Although ”Huvva!” is her fourth album, it feels like her debut. And a strong 'debut' it is.

Trollskog (Mer svensk folkmusik på beat) (EMI Columbia, 1972)
Instrumental, Swedish vocals, wordless vocals
International relevance: ***

”Trollskog” continues where ”Huvva!” left off, taking some of predecessor's musicians along. Added to the studio line-up is Björn J:son Lindh on flute, guitar wiz Janne Schaffer and percussionist Sabu Martinez and others. The partial personnel changes made for a somewhat funkier style, and even attributed a psychedelic tinge to some of the tracks. Almost as good as "Huvva!".

Bergtagen (EMI, 1973)
International relevance: ***
Instrumental, wordless vocals

After releasing ”Det for två vita duvor – folkton i Vikens kapell” together with impossible-to-pinpoint larger-than-life comedian/poet/childrens' TV host/thinker/eccentric Beppe Wolgers earlier in 1973, (Wolgers also appears on a couple of tracks on "Trollskog".) Hemmingson returned with an album made with newly formed three-piece backing band Folkmusikgruppen. It's a self-assured album and she obviously feels at ease with having her own band as opposed to working with seasoned studio musicians, but at the same time the concept was slowly beginning to wear thin. The sense of pioneering exploration that made her first two proper folk albums so appealing is waning off (she even re-recorded ”Gammal jämtländsk brudmarsch” or the album), and the prevalent jazz influences are oddly enough stifling to the music. ”Bergtagen” has a couple of fine tracks (including the contageously groove ”Domaredansen”) but it's far too uneven to compete with ”Huvva!” and ”Trollskog”. Having said that, I still think it's an OK album to have, especially to complete the informal trio of folk albums that began with "Huvva!".

Balsam (EMI, 1975)
Instrumental, English vocals, wordless vocals
International relevance: **
 
By the time of ”Balsam”, Hemmingson obviously realized she couldn't take the hitherto successful concept much further without repeating herself too much. Bringing more scat singing, harmonica, synthesizers, strings etc, plus a more expensive sounding production to the table, ”Balsam” is in some way a return to her pre-”Huvva!” years, with a greater emphasize on easy listening, only grander in scope. Unfortunately it meant a step completely in the wrong directions, with Hemmingson losing her tracka altogether. An atrocious discofied version of soul classic ”I Heard It Through the Grapevine” proves my point well enough.
 
Hemmingson has continued performing and making albums through the years, but with ”Balsam” painfully marking the end of an era, there's no reason for this blog to go further down her discography.
 

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