Now time to unleash my top 10 songs for 2022. Also added them to a spotify playlist with an additional 10 songs. Last year I did top 10 songs under 5 minutes and top 10 songs over 5 minutes. But this year I didn't think or find as many good songs over 5 minutes hence just put them in one list. But it was still a great year for music and top 10 albums will be coming next week. Have a great Christmas folks :-)
"How to let go"
is the 2nd album by 25-year-old, pop sensation Sigrid. I've been
following this Norwegian sensation she released her debut album, "Sucker
Punch" back in 2019. That was a fun filled album and propelled her
into mainstream stardom which led to multiple festival appearances and millions
of streams in streaming services. It was a well-balanced album, with those
wonderful feel good, up-tempo songs mixed with the slower more reflective
songs.
And really with "How to
let go" she has continued where she has left off and delivered a fine,
wonderful album with a cross section of songs which really work well
together. Singles "Mirror" and "Burning Bridges" are
those upbeat pop tracks which will stand side by side in quality to the likes
of "Strangers" and "Don't feel like crying" off her first
album. She has this swagger, carefree notion about her and it really
comes across with songs like these.
The opening track "It gets
dark" and "Thank me later" are other tracks which fit this mould.
I would say the most notable track on the album though is the collaboration
with Bring me the Horizon. Bring me the Horizon and especially their lead
singer Oli Sykes are currently one of the most talked about bands in the world
due to the quality of their albums and their every growing list of major acts
who they are collaborating with. And Sigrid has now been added to that
list with the song "Bad Life". This is an incredibly moving and
emotional track which everyone can relate to, with the chorus "It's just a
bad day, not a bad life". The chorus turns that frown upside down
and offers hope and the way the song builds along with Oli and Sigrid taking
turns on vocals really does make this the standout song on the album. And
the reality is, this is an unusual collaboration between the Kings of metal and
princess of pop, which amazingly, works so well.
There are other tracks on here
which see Sigrid take a slower, more ambient approach. For example,
following "Bad Life" is the acoustic "Grow" giving a more
chill out vibe. Then closer "High note" which is a nice ballad
to finish the album with. It also has the fitting lyrics for an album to
finish on "When I go, I wanna finish on a high note" and it certainly
does that. In "Dancer" the keyboards are brought out in another
track which again is a slower track but one which sees Sigrid's vocals soar.
Overall, this is another very
good album by Sigrid which is very much a continuation of where she left off
from "Sucker Punch". She has proven here that her first album
wasn't a fluke, and she is no one album wonder. It will be interesting to
see where she goes from this. She almost has a formula now, particularly
for the upbeat tracks which I think she could continue to get the success from,
or maybe it's time to explore new avenues in her sound and maybe collaborate
again which is something she pulled off so well on this album.
To be honest I am not really aware of the Norwegian music scene in any shape or form. But one artist who have discovered very recently is new pop sensation Sigrid who hails from Norway. "Sucker Punch" is the 22 year old's debut album. I actually started listening to Sigrid just last week due to a tweet to a review raving about this album so while I didn't actually watch the review it did make me spin the record.
And what a good choice that was! "Sucker Punch" is a delightful piece of modern pop and shows an artist who already writes quality material. I would say the songs can be divided into 2 categories; Predominatley all out, upbeat pop songs and some gentler songs which show another side to her. Firsly lets talk about the all out, upbeat pop songs. The likes of album opener "Sucker Punch", "Mine Right New", "Strangers", "Don't feel like crying", "Sight of you" and "Don't kill my vibe" I would say all fit into this category and that is like half of the album. There are more like this on the album but I think you get the jist! These songs will put a smile on your face. There is so much energy running through these songs and you really feel peformance wise she is giving it 100%.
These songs to me have the potential to become summer anthems this summer. I know she is already down to play Glastonbury and TRNSMT at least this summer. And these songs are just so catchy and easy to sing along to I can imagine there were will be more than just a few moments during her set were people just go "Wow, this is amazing". She even brings these songs to life through her videos where they also show off her personality. The way she comes across is a care free, young and happy person just enjoying singing her music and dancing about without a care in the world. A very engaging character.
Then we have the other side of the album. The slower songs which do the job of mixing things up and making the album balance out a bit in terms of tempo. None more so than album closer "Dynamite". This song is a piano ballad and Sigrid's vocals really come to the fore in such a tender and poignant way. "In Vain" is another slower song, well for the first half of the song anyway. Then this really cool drum beat kicks in and the song bursts into life. The build up then the change in beat really works well here.
Overall if you like upbeat pop music which is slightly different to what is out there at the moment by an exciting and emerging talent, this album is definitley for you. I think by the end of the year there may be a sitution where Sigrid could quite easily become a household name and festival organisers maybe bumping her up bills if they get a hold of this.
