THE ALBUMS OF LENE

Lost In A Moment

(June 13, 2005)

Album Review

Introduction 

On 'Lost In A Moment', we are dealing with a very good studio album containing some extremely beautiful and well-written songs from a very talented artist and songwriter. With 11 songs in the standard version (12 in the Japanese - including 'Blanket In A Park; running time 3:30 min.), the album has the official running time of 45:18 min.

Lene's singing on 'Lost In A Moment' is generally, and shortly spoken, unparallelled in quality. This is both compared to her previous albums, and compared to other contemporary artists, Norwegian or foreign. Her voice production is simply impressive this time around. She goes up and down, she twists and turns, she gets the words and the vocal pitch right at every phrase. She is humming in the intros,  she is humming in the refrains, she is humming and playing with her voice all over the songs, actually. She is using two-part singing, she is using choirs, she is using the 'flow' of the song to tease and move the listener. Lene shows that she is a master of pop song craftmanship and songwriting. She knows which buttons to push, and she does it as well as any songwriter could do.

My Lucky Day

With a 'ta-da-da-da' humming intro over the crystal clear guitars, Lene is putting the album out of the speakers. 'My Lucky Day' is more of a traditional rock song than it is a traditional pop song. It has a great build up in the verses, to the refrain, where Lene is singing about love and the aftermath of a break-up, and the hope for a new beginning, it seems. The intro song is a strong song, and it has the qualities to hook the listener from the very start of the album, with the great drift and the choir on the choruses. A great song on its own, but in the context of the album, it also does a fine job of serving as a warm-up to what is to come.

All I Can Say

Lene puts the claw in you in this one. This is a majestic piece of pop music. The singing in the verses, Lene's clear articulation and voice production, it's all so well done. This is also a song that grows on you, perhaps the largest grower of all the songs on the album. It's a bit of weird comparison, but this song gives me the same vibes as Morten Harket's 'Spanish Steps', which was the second song on his solo album from 1995. That song became a major success in Norway that year, and it wouldn't surprise me if 'All I Can Say' will reach a similar status in 2005 for Lene. The 'flow' of this song is simply brilliant, with the bridge verse midway through, with the lines of 'And I'm hoping that you can forgive me, And I'm praying that you don't think less of me, And I'm Hoping that you, will see it too, See that it is for the better'. Such wonderful singing, such wonderful writing. The song ends with a flowing cascade of guitars and background choir, completing the song with a 'hook' of the guitars. Wonderful, one of my absolute favourites on the album! 

How Would It Be

We first got to hear Lene's first single from the album on NRK1, in a live version. The wonderful rock guitars and the delicious production on the studio version of 'How Would It Be' makes it a treat to be listening to this great single release. The quality of her lyrics has not been reduced one bit from earlier releases either; the chorus passage of 'And now, I wonder how it would be, If things did the same and we liked it, The end of the search cause we found it'is wonderfully written, the vocal harmonisation is excellent, and the mid-song break with a slight solo guitar is another great touch. This strong single is even better in the context of the whole album, and we have reasons to believe that a toned-down acoustic version would make this song stand out even more, especially in the chorus.

Hope You're Happy

This is where Lene really sets in the thrust for real. A wonderful new version of the almost classic song appearing in acoustic format on the 'Another Day' DVD edition. The 'hook' of the classical guitars, combined with a fantastic use of cello in the verses, makes this an absolute winner. Lene has also changed the singing somewhat compared to the original version, incorporating the 'feel' of the song won through repeated live performances throughout 2003-2004. The two-part singing in the second verse and beyond is brilliantly arranged. Listen also carefully to how Lene is changing the pitch in the last repeating of the chorus. A wonderful version of a song that must be very close to Lene's heart.

What If

The first real 'true-to-90-ies' pop song on the album, and it's a great one. The wonderful up-beat guitar chords and drums bring you into Lene's pop heaven with ease. She may be leaning heavily on Sting's 'Every Breath You Take' in the beat, but the singing is totally different than anything else I've heard before. The absolute spine chilling singing of the verses are so well performed, it's a total pleasure listening to Lene's crystal clear voice. Especially the lines of 'Wanna keep it like this, for a while...forever', it's just magic in Lene's voice in this line, and in the similar line in the 2nd verse. The song is also one of the most catchy on the album, and it must be great to just let loose, and be dancing all over the floor to this one. And in the end, she is keeping her voice high on the last refrain. Brilliant pop.

Leave My Mind

So wary, and so vulnerable can Lene's songs get. This is beauty reincarnated in all it's precious faces in a single song. The wonderful humming in the intro, the transition to the guitars, the wistfulness of the singing. You get the picture of a Lene in a really sad mood, and it results in one of the most beautiful songs ever written. The mid-song interlude with the cello is beyond brilliant. Notice how Lene does this; she is letting the cello finish its first 'turn', before she starts singing the bridge verse. I can bet you that 4 out of 5 artists would have started singing right away, but not Lene. A subtle, but brilliant touch, and it is so wonderful one could be lost for words. This is the one song that will get you wet with tears, if you aren't already in that mood. A fantastic piece of music, and one of the album's many highlights.

When You Were Around

A quiet, also wistful, piece of music, in the same vein as the classic 'I Know' from the Playing My Game era. Once again, this is Lene and her guitar, singing and playing. A beautiful song about missing someone that once were there for you, a theme that Lene seems to visit again and again, even based only on this album alone. 'When You Were Around' is not as immediate as 'I Know' was, or as immediate as some of the other songs on the album, but it is growing for each time you listen to it. Sooner, rather than later, you'll find yourself both humming and singing along with her. Another beautiful song to be kept close to your heart from Lene, and in the context of the album, it also functions well as a more quiet interlude, before she starts rocking it up again.

Never To Know

A beautiful strings with beat intro from Lene, that is the first time I believe! And what a song it's the intro to, as well. This is another one of the album's highlights, a song that is perfectly built up, and where Lene is singing so well, so controlled, and is using her voice in all possible manners. The irresistable chorus is one thing, but how she is doing the verses are almost even better. When the song goes into full 'cascade' in the second verse, with the lines of 'Have you seen the way he acts sometimes', and you are hearing that background cello just dragging you into the song, you just understand that this is one significant piece of music. Also, notice how Lene is doing the singing the lines of 'For then...never to know, never to know', she is holding the tone of her voice until the bitter end of the line. Many other artists would easily have fallen for the temptation of using, say, an 'echo' box here, or just doing some 'cut and paste' singing of the lines, but Lene is doing it the 'hard way', singing each line as it should, with individual care, also humming extensively throughout, and with a fantastic result.

Eyes Closed

With 'Eyes Closed', Lene is returning to the lighter pop arena, a song totally different than 'Never To Know' before it. This song has a rhythm and a beat that closely resembles the old Traveling Wilbury's classic 'Handle With Care'. I'm not sure if everyone will agree with me here, but this song reminds me of that George Harrison classic almost every time I listen to it. With that said, it's a very catchy song, with a great hook in the guitars, and in the chorus. The drift of the song is nothing short of perfect, and it could very well be the second single from the album in due time. This could also have been the actual title track for this album, but that title was changed to 'Lost In A Moment' shortly before release, making this album the first Lene album without a title track at all. Still, it's a very strong song, easily defending its place on the record.

It's True

Finally, Lene is back at the classical piano! The intro and the theme of the piano sound is at least based on the piano playing we could hear Lene be playing in the 'Another Day' DVD edition, the documentary. However, it is somewhat rearranged and not so 'full-bodied' here as it sounded on the DVD, but it is equally beautiful, and it is clearly recognizable. Although 'Faces' also had the piano, 'It's True' is more in the vein of 'Flown Away' from the debut album. The verses are longing and wistful, and the chorus is beautiful, with really strong lyrics. Another fine piece in Lene's incredible growing collection of songs.

Wish I Could

This is Lene on her most rock up until now, resembling 'So I See' a little bit from Playing My Game, although perhaps not as strong as a song considered. However, it's a very good piece, with a really delicious drift, especially at the end, and Lene is singing really well. The intro to the song is quite strange, however, and it somewhat of a mystery how the Enya-like humming in the intro is tied to the actual song. Lene just loves to be humming on this album, and this song is no exception, as the chorus includes a real humming section, her voice almost playing or functions as a contrast to the rock-like guitar chords and beat. A very good ending on the 11-track version of 'Lost In A Moment', even though 'Wish I Could' is not in my Top 5 of better tracks on this wonderful offering.

Blanket In A Park

This song is the bonus track of 'Lost In A Moment', and it was first played by Lene in her comeback promotion concert at Oslo City, on September 27, 2003. Originally, Lene played this song with only her classical guitar and her voice, making it a slow, beautiful love song, more resembling 'I Know' than the sound and feel of the album it ended up on. Personally, I believe Lene should have recorded the song in it's original 'Oslo City' style. On the album, the song has been rearranged heavily, and made into more of a run-of-the-mill midtempo pop track, instead of the slow, melodic and intensely beautiful love song that it was. However, this isn't to say that the 'Lost In A Moment' version is in any way poor, it's still a great song that deserves it place on the album. It's just that, sometimes, it may be better to leave things as they were, especially when the basic stance was as good as in this case. In any case, though, the album version is more fitted to the record's overall style.

Overall, this is an album really well done, and a worthy successor to 'Playing My Game' and 'Another Day'!