Grade: B
At 19-years-old, this young woman is already a Swedish pop sensation. Her fame has not stopped there, as her powerful vocals have spread through the U.S., especially with the recent release of her album “So Good.” She seemed such a hit that giving her a try seems like it is required.
Swedish vocalist and songwriter Zara Larsson crashed into the music scene after winning the popular talent show Talang Sverige (Sweden’s equivalent to Great Britain’s “Got Talent”) back in 2008. In 2012, this electropop artist released her first extended play, landing her a triple platinum for her track “Uncover.” By 2014 she already had three more top ten songs: “She’s Not Me,” “Carry You Home” and “Rooftop.”
According to ALLMUSIC, she started to become an international star after releasing “Lush Life” and “Never Forget You.” Nowadays, most of us can barely drive ten minutes without hearing “Lush Life,” “Ain’t My Fault,” or “Never Forget You” on the radio. Larsson even worked with David Guetta to create the 2016 UEFA Euro Cup Anthem.
Her latest album, which was released March 17, contains 15 new songs and totals about 50 minutes. If you like her style, then her album certainly has enough to keep you interested. After you listen to the album a few times, you will definitely pick out a few songs that you like.
“So Good” for which the album was named is accompanied by a music video on the album release site. The video is very glittery, artsy and a great excuse to wear a thousand different outfits. Sadly, this song fails to meet expectations. It is definitely better fit for the summer with it’s light notes and sunny vibe. After trudging through the snow this week, the lyrics just weren’t working for me. It was simply too early for this repetitive release.
“Ain’t My Fault” also comes with it’s own colorful music video, which you should check out. Larsson seemed to take a few tips from Hailee Steinfeld’s master dance scenes in her “Starving” video. Except that in Larsson’s case, she needs to find a better balance between sexy and “all-about-it” rapper because she comes off as being pretty and silly instead of the more dominatrix vibe she seems to be shooting for. Like the radio says though, this song is a hit. It is super upbeat and filled with the kind of sass that is needed to command the dance floor.
If there is one word for Larsson’s single “TG4M,” it would be “cute.” This single is slower, more fun and simpler than the majority of songs on this album. This song is the feeling of that crush you have on the hot guy sitting two rows down on the left. It only gets cuter when Larsson uses a synthesizer to create that high-pitched, “chipmunk” feel.
This album falls in the B range for me. My favorite songs tended to just be the hits that I had already heard on the radio and the rest of the songs were just okay. However, do not buy the album because the few songs that you might enjoy are available on Spotify. I’d still say check it out to see what you make of the collection.
