Andreas Aleman This is life (in English) Written by: Andreas Aleman, Brian Hobbs & others Produced by: Andreas Aleman Eidolon Productions AB www.andreasaleman.com Listen here: Store | Eidolon.se
Andreas is an artist on the Eidolon label and I have basically co-written the majority of the songs on the album with him and I also served as executive producer….there’s no way that I can be objective about this album so I won’t even try. What I will do is give you a few quotes from other reviewers and fans. But before I do that just let me say that it’s a fantastic album and you should order at least 2 copies today, one for yourself and one to give away… OK, don’t take my word for it; listen to these other guys:
“Great CD, some serious funk, fine keyboard work and arrangements! Andreas is a very soulful and talented artist, “Loving Me By Name” is a beautiful and well crafted song. Love it!” -Michael Ruff – American recording artist
“Yeah, Andreas is the new Swedish Funky Boy! I do dig his brand new album! “This is life” has all the grooves, the moods and modes it takes to reach out to a lot of people, young and old.” -Nils Landgren- trombonist, vocalist and funkmeister
“Andreas is the best thing that’s happened to the soul/pop/funk scene in this part of the world in a very long time! His intense and at the same time warm and laid-back voice is indeed something ‘extra-ordinaire’. And in this musical environment it’s nothing less than a sensation! It makes me smile and move my skinny ass!” -Björn Skifs- Swedish recording artist
“This is life, nice to sit on the sofa and enjoy a CD of this caliber. Amazing how it can swing on certain tracks while others songs are soft and beautiful! A perfect balance of production that makes it a near-perfect. Westcoast, Funk, soul, pop in a nice mix!! If you do not have this disc in your record collection, it is certainly not complete! Highly Recommended!”
10/10?- Bengt Isaksson – www.westcoast-music.com
“Yesterday I had the great privilege of seeing and HEARING Andreas Aleman live at Jazzclub Fasching in Stockholm. It was MAGIC! This guy is awesome, has a powerful voice and had an amazing band and horn section backing him up. Fasching was crowded and totally knocked-out by Andreas’ mix of soul, funk and westcoast. This is the freshest I’ve heard in years and it makes me so proud to be a Swede. I hope you will get a chance to experience this powerplant live. BUY THE RECORD, you won’t regret it. It deserves everyone’s attention.” Mikael Engström, Stockholm, Sweden
5.0 out of 5 stars Looks like metal, sounds like Stevie?
“Judging by the cover, you might expect this album to be somewhere in the rock spectrum, perhaps heavy metal. Yet the first thing that strikes you, when you pop this one in the CD player, is the similarity between Andreas Aleman's vocals and arrangements and those of Stevie Wonder.
Now that analogy won't carry us too far - and I don't like "sounds like..."-type reviews anyway - but it's a good place to start with an artist who, I'm guessing, may not be well-known to many customers. Based on the talent shown here, though, that could change.
Although most of the music that I review here is British or American, I keep an ear on what's happening elsewhere. That's certainly paid off here, as Andreas Aleman looks to be a significant discovery.
Andreas Aleman is a Swedish singer, songwriter and keyboard player of very significant talent, and he's backed on this album by a pretty formidable band. This includes a horn section comprising two trombones, two saxes and a trumpet, and their important input hits you immediately on the funky opening title track. The funky motif continues on 'Show Me', another winner.
'That was yesterday' finds Aleman in slower tempo. He does the more laid-back material almost as well as the funkier numbers, though I prefer the latter on this album. This said, the slower numbers really showcase his very considerable talents as a composer. An astute American singer with the right kind of delivery could cull a great album from the slower material here - material which is almost tailor-made for an artist like, say, Boz Scaggs. Again using the "sounds like..." approach, think Greg Guidry and you won't be too far out with Aleman.
'She might not do me right' gets back into funky groove, as does 'Your version of the truth'. And so on, through a succession of funky numbers interspersed with slower-tempo romantic ballads.
This is, I assume, a debut album, and one can only look forward optimistically to future offerings based on this extraordinarily promising start.”- Review by Amazon.com customer
