Monday, September 17, 2018

MONICA TÖRNELL – Ingica (Polydor, 1972) / Alrik (Polydor, 1973)

Ingica (Polydor, 1972)
Swedish vocals
International relevance: **

Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk discovered Monica Törnell in 1971 when she was only 17 years old. Polydor released her debut the following year, an album that reveals Törnell had a surprisingly mature voice despite her young age. The label engaged a stellar cast of studio musicians for the recordings, including Björn J:son Lindh, Jan Bandel, Hawkey Franzén, Janne Schaffer and Vreeswijk himself.

”Ingica” features songs written specifically for the album by Vreeswijk, Carl-Axel Dominique (of Solar Plexus) and J:son Lindh, plus Franzén and Vreeswijk translated covers of Melanie, Eric Anderson and Jethro Tull. The album is in a melancholy folk rock vein with Törnell's raspy voice to the fore. A consistent work, especially for such a young artist as Törnell was at the time.

Alrik (Polydor, 1973)
Swedish vocals, English vocals
International relevance: **

”Alrik” is similar in tone and style to the debut, only with deeper running folk strains. The album uses more or less the same set of musicians, and Törnell herself sounds a bit more confident here, bringing in more songs written by herself than on the previous album. The best track however is the album's first, the traditional ”Öje brudmarsch” with some mean Schaffer guitar.

Ingica full album playlist
Alrik full album playlist

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