Sofia Talvik
Jonestown
Makaki Music

Jonestown is Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik's third album. The second on her own label. Earlier this year she got chosen as both Artist Of The Week at HitQuarters, and Songwriter Of The Month on SongQuarters, and by listening to Jonestown it is easy to understand why. It is easy to listen to. Easy to like. After a while you even might think it is too easy to like. Is this just another album you like for a minute, and then find boring, or just forget? And maybe it is. But then again...

It is so melodic, so seductive, so nice. Cross boarding pop, folk and country. All arranged around Sofia Talvik's intriguing voice. Close to beautiful "As Summer Pass" is both the opening of the album and the first single. But sadly it promises a bit more than the album can hold up to, as it also stands out as the records probably best song. This in competition with "Clown" which is the albums most playful track, leaning to more jazz like cords. And the title song "Jonestown", an elegantly stripped down piece, with nearly just her voice and the guitar.

To do some namedropping similarities you also could say that Jonestown is to be found somewhere between Goldfrapp and Dido. Trying to reach Goldfrapp's floating landscapes especially on tracks like "Summer Ended Yesterday", but staying a bit too organic, a bit too simple. And it is in this simplicity it is easy to think of artists like Dido, who leans on the songs nice appearance, and forgets that good looks alone after all is only good looks, like a nice tune is just that. A nice tune..

But as Sofia Talvik sings on "Something good": if there's something good in me. The answer is yes, there's definitely something good on Jonestown. But alas, that is also all.. Just good..

[See our archive for her last album - editor's note]

Copyright © 2008 Aslaug O. Klausen