Annasara: Songs from Sälshög
annasongs

Songs from Sälshög takes its name from a small community on the plains of Scania where Annasara Lundgren lived for a year; it's also the place where, surrounded by birds, cats, and nature, the Swedish neoclassical singer-songwriter wrote the material for this captivating collection. It's a mere half-hour in duration, but Lundgren makes every moment count: the recording's mix of songs—an eclectic set of originals plus a treatment of U2's “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”—speaks resoundingly on behalf of the classically trained violinist, composer, pianist, and singer.

It's not the first release from Lundgren, who began playing violin at five and eventually studied it formally in Malmö before performing in symphony orchestra and chamber music contexts. Her first EPs appeared in 2014 and 2015, respectively, which she followed with a 2018 children's album, Till dig som är barn, and last year, the EP Self Love—all such experiences ably preparing her for the writing, arranging, and production of Songs from Sälshög. While it's very much anchored by Lundgren's voice, piano, and violin, the recording is significantly enhanced by the contributions of cellist Gerda Holmquist, flutist Christine Clancy, trumpeter Per Ivarsson, and bassist Simon Peterson.

In place of U2's uplift, Annasara opts for sorrow and longing in a chamber treatment of “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For.” The cover is obviously a drawing card, but Songs from Sälshög's appeal extends beyond that attention-getter when every song has something to recommend it. “Find Me Time” entrances for its haunting blend of vocals, piano, and strings, with Lundgren alternating between hushed verses and soaring choruses; however, the recording's most moving piece is arguably “To The Child,” a ballad whose carefully calibrated emotional expression proves deeply affecting.

A Debussy influence is perceptible in “Impressions From Sälshög 1st Movement” when cascades of piano chords intone alongside strings, the chamber-styled whole providing a lovely stage for Lundgren's clear, youthful voice to soar over. It would be easy to imagine the later “I Wish I Knew,” on the other hand, as a Björk creation (one sung by her too), so much does its brooding drama call the Icelandic artist's style to mind. English lyrics are sung throughout the mini-album except for “All Min Tid,” which embeds Annasara's Swedish delivery within a stirring classical framework. Nicely framing the album is “Impressions From Sälshög 3rd Movement,” which, wordless vocalizing aside, concludes the release with an instrumental, Ivarsson's trumpet essentially taking the place Lundgren's voice occupies elsewhere.

May 2020