Kate Havnevik – &I

By the time Kate Havnevik finished work on her previous long-player, ‘You’, in 2011, the Norwegian singer-songwriter had amassed so much new material that her intention was to follow that release with another new album shortly thereafter. As is often the case, however, life throws you in different directions to the ones you may have mapped out for yourself.

After ‘You’, came a soundtrack for a Norwegian film in Norway followed by children’s opera and this meant that ‘& I’ had to wait. With her third effort, she moves into new direction, however not a complete departure from the Havnevik back-catalogue. The familiar twinkles of Guy Sigsworth’s production, which so elegantly characterise Havnevik’s discography are still here as an inherent soundbed onto which fresh themes and arrangements have been incorporated, to create a contemporary pop record that is as sumptuous as it is elaborate.

There is an inevitable Nordic sensibility to all the tracks on ‘&I’, yet the production is tempered with flourishes which position the record beyond the exclusive reach of Scandiphiles. Havnevik has, over the years, become a ubiquitous force in the American television and film synch licensing sphere and much of the material on this latest offering should easily appeal to that market again. Overall, while the occasional hint at Euro-pop helps identify the artist’s roots, the eclectic production and arrangements manage to steer clear of clichés.

Stand out tracks include: Emperor Of Nowhere acts as an unmistakable mood-changer, shining a spotlight on Havnevik’s more sombre side. The song, which also kicks things off on the record, recalls the darker offerings from her earlier works, such as Castaway (from ‘You’) and Not Fair (from ‘Melankton’). Then on to the album’s harbinger, Falling, you get not only a double-chorus of sorts but also one of the record’s most infectious and hard-to-ignore moments. Whether intentionally or otherwise, a strong chorus is an evident priority in Havnevik’s song-writing and, indirectly, it also ensures that her albums are low on filler. An instance is The River, the album’s big ‘banger’ written by Havnevik with Sultan & Ned Shepard, this is an epic, sprawling dance anthem, which defies being ignored.

Havnevik manages to seamlessly bring its various pieces together, so as to form one unified, big picture, it is an organic coming together of the (already individually strong) component parts that gives ‘&I’ a natural, effortless feel and makes it an early front-runner for 2015’s pop highlights.

‘&I’ is out on 23rd February on Continentica Records

Written by Doron Davidson-Vidavski