Label: Sony Music Finland
Review by CriX
Hanna Pakarinen was the first winner of Idol’s Finnish edition in 2004, after Eurovision in 2007 and 5 albums she’s back with a new album. Her music is the perfect mix between rock and pop and her ‘scratchy’ voice makes the songs unique in its genre. Let be enchanted by this multi-faceted album and so, the first song is “Olipa kerran elamä” (“Once Upon a Lifetime”), that has been chosen as the second single, and it’s a really good track that personally brought back to my memory the best of the 80’s sounds. “Laitetaan kuolema polvilleen”, “Let’s Death to the Knees” is the most rock song of the whole album and its keyboards intro is really particular. From the rockiest one to “Jokapäiväinen” (“Everyday”) a ballad that was designated as the first single for “Olipa kerran elamä”. One of the best track of the whole album is “Anna minut takaisin”; whose Hanna‘s immaculate vocals creates an atmospheric, magical surrounding. “Menen kaljalle” , with its funny title “I Go Out for a Beer” catapults us to a more joyful mood suitable for a summer hit . “Selät vastakkain” aka “Back to Back”, which is an another fantastic song, sees Hanna duettting with Teleks former member Pepe Johansson and it features a magnificent solo sax part played by Heikki Pohto. The catchy “Sammuttakaa koko kaupunki”after its first listen will stuck forever in your mind so “Switch Off the Whole City”. Proved that I love “Sydäan tuli vastaan”, “Pieni prinsessa” (“Little Princess”), is quite a peculiar track with a ‘retro’ sound. The album closes with the oriental-influenced “Meikit päällä nukkumaan”. The whole album is a good work, not the best of Hanna Pakarinen, but in it you can find some particular sounds. I think she has experimented with different sounds and it fits perfectly with her fickle vocals.
Rating – 70/100
Tracklist
- Olipa kerran elämä
- Laitetaan kuolema polvilleen
- Jokapäiväinen
- Anna minut takaisin
- Menen kaljalle
- Selät vastakkain
- Sammuttakaa koko kaupunki
- Sydän tuli vastaan
- Pieni prinsessa
- Meikit päällä nukkumaan