Label : Napalm Records
Review by Tony Cannella
Liv Kristine has become more prominent as a solo artist these days. Of course her main gig is still Leaves’ Eyes, but she has managed to release a few solo albums in that bands downtime. The material is different and goes in a more pop direction than Leaves’ Eyes, but that’s okay, I mean what would be the point of doing a solo album if it is a carbon copy of your regular band? On her fourth solo album “Libertine”, Liv continues to explore her pop music side. Liv has always been an excellent lyricist but with her solo career she writes from more of a personal perspective rather than about Vikings, history and telling complex stories. “Libertine” has a playing time of about 40-minutes and the songs have a relatively immediate impact, starting with the soft opener “Interlude” which leads into the more rocking “Solve Me”. “Vanilla Skin Delight” is a great up-tempo song that sees Liv performing a magical duet with German singer Tobias Regner. This is definitely one of the finest moments that “Libertine” has to offer. In contrast, the next song “Panic” is a piano driven ballad that builds as the song progresses but it never strays too far from ballad territory. One thing “Libertine” does so well is shift from softer moments to more up-tempo songs. Other highlights include: “Paris Paris” (one of the more rock oriented songs), “Love Crime”, “Libertine” and the closing cover of the Kate Bush song “The Man with the Child in His Eyes”. There is good pop and then there is bad pop. With “Libertine” Liv has recorded a good, spirited, pop rock album, with a lot of soul, heart and passion.
Rating – 90/100
Tracklist
- Interlude
- Solve Me
- Silence
- Vanilla Skin Delight
- Panic
- Paris Paris
- Wait for Rain
- Love Crime
- Libertine
- Meet Me in the Red Sky
- The Man With the Child in His Eyes
Line Up
- Liv Kristine – Vocals
- JB van der Wal – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Keys & Programming
- Thorsten Bauer – Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Bass & Keys
- Alessandro Panto – Piano
- Christoph Kutzer – Cello
- Felix Born – Drums and Percussion
Links
MySpace * Facebook * Twitter * Site