Well, I've been living with—and listening to—Kingdom Of Norway for about a week now (with a HUGE tusen takk to a friend here at RonniLeTekro.com!!). I feel that, after many repeated listens, I've become familiar enough with the release to review it at last.
The title track, Kingdom Of Norway, has hints of the Pink Floyd influence we've heard from Ronni in the past, although I think he leaves his indelible fingerprint on this one much more than in previous efforts (for example, Vagabond's Gold In the Air). From the sweet arpeggiated opening chords to the closing machine-gun leads and layered guitars, it's a very strong opening for the guitar fans. There are great Whammy II leads, flute-like as usual, and very cool harmony vocals, which we've seen on the latest TNT release. Never have the harmony vocals been more interesting than recent TNT, at least not since Vagabond (that's right, dissidents!). The solo is thematic in nature, and very appropriate for the song. No show-boating here. I think this was a very strong track to open the cd with.
The second track is Happy, which I understand is the new single. Again, for those bent on believing that Ronni is going for machine-gun nirvana, there's a distinct lack of any guitar solo on this tune. What there is present, however, is a great song with some nice melodic playing, as well as lots of great chords and voice-leading. This is way cooler than two-chord power chord riffing a lá Seven Seas and similar tunes. Happy is a feel-good tune, sweet and surprisingly mellow. Very David Bowie in some respects. Diggin' it. Oh, and there's some na na na's for those who dug 'em on the latest TNT effort (na na na's make for great sing-alongs).
Missing Mrs. Hippie and You is a personal favorite of mine on this release. We definitely see a musician who's maturing, growing, expanding, and evolving. The song begins with a false start, the cheering of a huge crowd and arena-rocking guitar, then segues immediately into a great retro (and I mean RETRO) style song (think pre-60's even). There's some yodeling, not only from Ronni, but also from the guitar phrasing in the very nicely done outro solo. Great vocal, great vibe, great tune. I applaud Mr. Tekrø on this one. I would've never seen it coming, and I like surprises. BTW, the song ends with just a few handclaps (we just know that a song like this will appeal to a very select few).
The riff to Kissingdisease absolutely rocks, and I love the harmonized vocals in the verses. This song grooves with intent. There's also some high falsetto vocals in the pre-chorus, which should please all the whiners who cried when they heard them on The New Territory. May this humour, creativity, and adventurous spirit NEVER disappear. There's a cool talk box solo, always reminding us of cool 70's Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton. Present here—and on many track on this release—are nice strings, which really work. It looks like Mari Persen, also from the new TNT disc, is working hard in this department once again. I'm loving the string section ideas in the TNT and solo material. These ideas work.
From A Bird's Perspective is a beautiful instrumental, very, very, very well-done. This is different and so, so sweet. I hear a bit of George Harrison in there. Ok, I hear a lot of George Harrison in there. But I hear so many other things coming and going within this tune. In fact, it's one of those songs that I find myself hearing new things with every listen. There's so much going on for such a mellow tune. Also, this is about as classy as it gets. One of Ronni's best instrumentals yet.
She Stole the Magic is awesome. There's a little Andy Summers in the rhythm guitar, but only a touch, supplemented by arpeggiated lines. The chorus is the big one that gets stuck in my head more than any other on the disc. It's catchy. Ronni sings through some effects in the bridge. Again, no guitar solo, just a very good song. Ronni's proving he's a songwriter, letting the melodies, rhythms, and ideas evolve and speak for themselves without leaning heavily on 80's guitar heroics. Believe me, I love them more than the next guy, but he's been doing it so long that it's very refreshing to see him venture into these new places, where there are many tones, many timbres.
Crazy 'bout You is yet another foray into the 50's/60's song-style we've heard on June and What A Wonderful World, but this one blows the others right out of the water. This is slow-dance at the end of the prom. There's no question it's a love song, and it's executed with excellence. Ronni's really growing into this songwriting style, and he's taking it home here. Hats off...
1976 is the album's second instrumental. I like this...a lot. I think this would be a great tune to see performed live. The strings have some nice Middle Eastern sounds, while the guitar early on shows more of that David Gilmour influence creeping in. Again, this is a song where you hear more each time you listen because it's not so straight-up as other (typically) heavy guitarists' instrumental songs. It's more free-style, loose, a bit psychedelic and trippy. Unlike the first instrumental, there's a little more energy in this, but it's very control-and-release, come-and-go. The interplay between the guitar and strings is awesome. Nice effects on the guitars, as well as the track itself. This reminds me a little of Ronni's work with Modern Rhythmic Trio. Very similar.
Sweet Mother India has less of a Middle Eastern (I'm a HUGE fan of Middle Eastern sounds in western music: the Tea Party, Page/Plant, Anubis Spire) sound overall, and it's mostly instrumental overall. There's some absolutely killer interplay between the strings and Whammy II playing here, and also some killer Whammy II soloing: more of that style where Ronni plays the Whammy pedal more like a wah than what many guitarists do (much more creative and dynamic). I love the trippy 60's section that precedes the vocal line that begins about 3 minutes into the song. The vocal is where the Middle Eastern sound makes its strongest appearance. Very good vocal melody. Again, gotta say that the Whammy pedal playing is absolutely brilliant. This is the culmination of years of developement. You can hear just how his approach to this effect has evolved over time, really coming to the fore about the time of My Religion. Its time has finally arrived.
Although I love all the tracks, and enjoy being surprised by the directions Ronni tends to take, It's Life Itself is the other big favorite on this release. More magic from the strings and arpeggiated chordal picking. I'm still diggin' the falsetto vocals paired with the straight-up vocal. The guitar leads in this are top-notch: touches of Brian May, a dash of machine-gun, flangers, a touch a Whammy II. It's all here, present and accounted for. This also has that special vibe that just carries me away. TNT's Fountain Of Love and Can't Go On Without also have that killer vibe. The breakdown with the cello in the middle of the song just gives me chills.
Overall, Kingdom Of Norway is most certainly yet another step in the right direction for Ronni. He's definitely on the right path with new TNT and the solo album. He might alienate some "fans," but I'm sure he will pick up new ones along the way. This music light years beyond KOTNT and anything else TNT did in the 80's. That worked then, but that was then and this is now. This works now. I think it's safe to say that Ronni is not just some metalhead, but an actual musician.
I think that Kingdom of Norway is right up there with the s/t Vagabond release, which is my all-time favorite Tekrø recording. This competes. I think new TNT could get there, because they're very close right now. I have confidence that Ronni will not backtrack, but will move forward, onward, and upward, delivering truly good music. People who want 80's throwback Euro-metal can go out and buy a Primal Fear cd for their Helloween/Gamma Ray/Judas Priest fix...or something. I believe Ronni's moving faster than ever into richer harmonic territory than power chords and screaming.
One friend—a long-time musician in his 50's, and hardcore Beatles fan with over 35 years pro experience—who heard the disc said that Ronni is becoming a true musician, that his compositions are showing a lot of depth and maturity and that, even if some fans feel betrayed, musicians will take him more seriously. He's writing real music now, very well thought out. Another friend who's also in his 50's and has been hearing Ronni material for years due to my enthusiasm, is finally being impressed. Again, he's a guy who plays 50's rock, professionally active for almost 40 years, never dug the heavy power chords, diads, and double-picking, now says he's hearing a real musician emerging. This is just what some other people are saying (I've been a fan all along, so no biggie there) about the recent output. So, some people who were in their teens in the 80's might not approve (and may cry, whine, diss, piss 'n moan, etc.), but there are people who are suddenly saying "wow, this guy's writing some brilliant music now," after years of not being sold on the heavy rock bombast.
Myself, as someone who grew up on ELO, Supertramp, Cheap Trick, Queen, Bowie, Thin Lizzy, the Beatles, Sweet, and everything else from the height of the pre-MTV rock era (and in more recent years turned onto City Boy, Be Bop Deluxe, Klaatu, and so on), I stand behind Ronni's musical direction 100%. To hell with the dissidents and hypocrites!
Hats off and raised glasses to a great year, with some great musical output from Tekrø and company. Skål og tusen takk.
Respect.
~D~  |
Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 6:36 pm
you doesnt take to well to anyone thats not superduper impressed with every note rlt can produce, do you? its ok not to LOVE everything, you know?
