The latest solo work from the A-Ha singer.
It goes perfectly with Swans' Public Castration Is A Good Idea !
Actually, we did really like the perfect pure pop of A-Ha!
A Norwegian in Egypt? A Norwegian must surely melt in the searing heat of Egypt! I hope he brought factor 999 sun-cream!
Letter from Egypt contains 12 tracks including the hit single 'Movies' and the impending second single 'Darkspace'.
Morten Harket is the lead singer with Grammy winning Norwegian trio A-ha, and "Letter from Egypt" is apparently his 4th solo album (and the first of which I'm hearing).
More downbeat and acoustic (with ambient flourishes) than the music done by his band, the album has already topped the album charts in his native Norway.
Filled with sombre yet melodic songs with deep lyrics, I was really looking forward to this CD as I'm a fan of Morten's fluid choir boy vocals. While he doesn't repeat the vocal gymnastics he displayed on songs such as "Living a boy's adventure tale" or "The blue sky", he still manages to put his pipes to good use, showing off his falsetto on occasion.
Opening is the longing "Darkspace" (with him singing longingly "You're with me/you're with me"). The brooding "Send me an angel" has dark synths, while the sweeping "There are many ways to die", "With you with me" and "Movies" are delicate ballads.
Other standouts include the acoustic title track, the jangly Waltz-like "Shooting star" the lovely "Anyone", and the tender closing acoustic ballad "The one you are". My favourite track though is the piano sprinkled "A name is a name", a ballad simply beautiful beyond description.
A good album, highly recommended!By Nse Ette
Letter from Egypt is an exquisite work of thoughtfulness and care brought to us by one of the most distinctive voices on the scene today.
Morten's first solo album was just over twelve years ago, with 1995's Wild Seed, but fate intervened in the years and a-ha regrouped in 1999, producing three albums in the years since.
Now, Morten has once again taken the proverbial drivers' seat and shown us his creativity, both as a lyricist and a musician in this solo work. Letter from Egypt seems to be direct follow-up to Wild Seed and after a few listens, one can deduce the spiritual and curious side of Morten as he pushes the proverbial envelope in crafting some beautiful ballads (Letter from Egypt, A Name is a Name, With You - With Me) as well as some decidedly rockable hits (Darkspace, Send Me an Angel, Movies) all along using his voice as an instrument, hitting the highs, finessing the lows and massaging every note inbetween.
As with a fine hand-crafted wine, this album has been well worth the wait.By Jason B. Miko
Tracklisting
02 Send Me An Angel
03 We´ll Never Speak Again
04 There Are Many Ways To Die
05 With You With Me
06 Letter From Egypt
07 A Name Is A Name
08 Movies
09 Shooting Star
10 Anyone
11 Should The Rain Fall
12 The One You Are