Hoven Droven
The title suggests that this album is a powerful affair. The opening pieces, "Bjekkergauken" and "Morsepolskan," remind us of Hoven's early days; simple melodies backed up by hard, solid riffing. But there is another side to Turbo. "Kom Hem" and "Petruchka � Je" are beautiful, slow songs with the 'Hoven Droven melancholy' that brings you to the verge of tears.
These musicians continue to develop their skills, and dare to try new ways of approaching the folk music. The jazzy "Dansen" offers a sharp interplay between Jens Com�n's saxophone and Kjell-Erik Eriksson's fiddle. The latter has always been the most active tunesmith, and "Skuffen" is a wonderful example of Hoven Droven's ability to make a simple, repetitive melody intensely captivating. The melody moves between the fiddle and the saxophone, and the dynamic rhythm section provides an unconditional groove. This type of arrangement was more common on their early CD's, and a few more tunes like this would probably have added some more excitement to the record and pleased their old-time fans.
Along with V�sen, Frifot and Hedningarna, Hoven Droven have been influential in the new folk music scene of Sweden. The large interest in folk music among young Swedes can, to some extent, be credited to these five men from J�mtland in northern Sweden. Turbo is their most solid album so far, perhaps because they have done what most other groups only dream about: capture some of the nerve, spontaneity and bubbly feeling of their live-gigs and bringing it into the studio. - Staffan Jonsson
The artists' web site: www.hovendroven.com
CD available from cdRoots
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