| Nu! | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 November 2013 (2013-11-20) | |||
| Studio | Various
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| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 40:50 | |||
| Language | Swedish | |||
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| Producer | ||||
| Marie Fredriksson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Nu! | ||||
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Nu! (English:Now!) is the eighth and finalstudio album by Swedish singer-songwriterMarie Fredriksson, released on 20 November 2013 byParlophone in conjunction with Fredriksson's ownlabel Amelia Music. It was her first album of original Swedish material since 1996'sI en tid som var, and wasproduced by Fredriksson alongside her husbandMikael Bolyos andChristoffer Lundquist. The record contains writing contributions fromUno Svenningsson,Kenneth Gärdestad,Lustans Lakejer vocalist Johan Kinde, and Fredriksson'sRoxette partnerPer Gessle.
The album received generally positive reviews from the Swedish music press, with several publications commending Fredriksson's vocals as well as the quality of the songwriting and production. It was also a commercial success, peaking at number six on theSwedish Albums Chart; it ended 2013 as one of the biggest-selling albums of the year in the country. The record was supported by a nineteen-date tour of Sweden, Fredriksson's first solo concerts since 2000.
Nu! is Fredriksson's first studio album of original Swedish material since 1996'sI en tid som var,[1] and her first since she was diagnosed with amalignantbrain tumour in 2002,[2] for which she received months ofchemotherapy andradiation treatment.[3] The album was co-produced by Fredriksson alongside her husbandMikael Bolyos,[2] as well as frequentRoxette co-producerChristoffer Lundquist.[4] Bolyos composed the music to all but two songs on the record: "Sista sommarens vals", Fredriksson's sole writing contribution to the album, and "Känn dig som hemma", which was written by Roxette songwriter and guitaristPer Gessle.[5] Fredriksson explained that "[Mikael and I] have been writing this album for six years. Unfortunately, it's just one song that I have written. I wish I had written more, but it takes so long for me nowadays because of my illness. When [he] wrote 'Kom vila hos mig', suddenly I thought 'Finally, a little island!'. So it felt natural to begin the album with it."[6]
Bolyos collaborated with several lyricists to compose the majority of the remaining songs on the album,[2] includingUno Svenningsson,Kenneth Gärdestad andLustans Lakejer vocalist Johan Kinde.[7] The record also contains three songs co-written with Ulf Schagerström: "Det är nu", "Aldrig längre bort än nära" and "I morgon".[5] Schagerström had previously collaborated with Fredriksson, composing "Mot okända hav" from 1985'sDen sjunde vågen and "Aldrig som främlingar" from 1987'sEfter stormen.[8] The fourth track on the album, "Längtan", was written solely by Bolyos,[9] and is unrelated to the same-titled song which previously appeared onEfter stormen.[8]
Three singles were released in Sweden to promote the album. "Kom vila hos mig" was issued as thelead single on 26 September 2013, followed by the one-trackdigital download singles "Sista sommarens vals" and "Det är nu" on 9 December and 8 April 2014, respectively.Nu! was also promoted by a nineteen-date concert tour of Sweden, which began on 19 February 2014 inHelsingborg and concluded on 19 April inUmeå.[10] These were her first solo concerts since theÄntligen – Sommarturné, in support of her 2000greatest hitscompilationÄntligen – Marie Fredrikssons bästa 1984–2000.[11]
The album received generally positive reviews from the Swedish music press.Nerikes Allehanda described it as her best solo album to date, and praised both "Kom vila hos mig" and "Bara 3 ord" as album highlights. The writer summarised: "On the whole,Nu! is a great surprise, which actually exceeds most of what she has done before—Den ständiga resan (1992) included. ... And of course we have [Fredriksson's] voice, as nice as ever."[7]Svenska Dagbladet described it as "occasionally shimmering like classic pop should be",[2] while one of the country's largest publications,Dagens Nyheter, said that Fredriksson's "Sista sommarens vals" and Gessle's "Känn dig som hemma" were the best songs on the album, and also commended Bolyos' production, saying: "He is there as a reliable support for Marie, without ever once attempting to steal the spotlight for himself."[1]
Upsala Nya Tidning praised Fredriksson's vocals,[4] as didDI Weekend, which said: "Nobody sings theblues like Marie Fredriksson."[9]Helsingborgs Dagblad commended the album for its inclusion ofcountry influences, and said that Fredriksson herself was "by far the best thing on the album: a star that is still burning bright."[13]Värmlands Folkblad commended the quality of the songwriting, but complained about the lack of musical variety on the album as a whole, elaborating: "It's all very nice, beautiful and rewarding. But because there are so many songs onNu! that can be called beautiful and nice, in the end it all becomes a bit of a monotony. ... This is nevertheless a return that feels honest and genuine. Few are the Swedish artists who possess the same incredible feeling and humility for the music and their own songs like Marie Fredriksson. There is weight behind every word and every tone."[16] Conversely,Arbetarbladet rated the album two out of five and said: "Because there is too much variation [musically], the end result is a little confused."[17]
The record also received some mixed reviews.Östgöta Correspondenten complained that it contained too many ballads, and was critical that Fredriksson composed only one song.[14] A writer forSmålandsposten echoed this sentiment: "I do not know if Marie Fredriksson had the capability of contributing more, but I would love to believe that she could have." They also criticised the material for a lack of memorablehooks.[15] A writer forNya Wermlands-Tidningen rated the album two out of five, and said it was too similar to Fredriksson's work with Roxette.[18] Jan Andersson of theGöteborgs-Posten praised Fredriksson's voice, saying that it had "avoided the major problems that such intense cancer treatment can expose to a body. If anything, her voice is even darker, and deeper, and comparing it now to how it sounded in the 1980s makes you realise how [high-pitched and] silly she sounded back then. The attitude is still there. The feeling, likewise." However, he went on to call the album a "disappointment."[12]
Nu! debuted at number six on theSwedish Albums Chart, on a busy chart week also marked by new releases fromOne Direction (Midnight Memories) andRobbie Williams (Swings Both Ways), along with recent releases from popular Swedish actsAvicii (True) andVeronica Maggio (Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig), as well as international actEminem (The Marshall Mathers LP 2).[19] It dropped to number ten on its second week before falling to number 18 on week three,[20][21] and then spending two consecutive weeks at number 15.[22][23] In all, it spent eight non-consecutive weeks on the Swedish Albums Chart,[24] and was the 69th best-selling album of 2013 in the country.[25]
All music is composed byMikael Bolyos, except track 5 byMarie Fredriksson and track 8 byPer Gessle
| No. | Title | Lyrics | English translation | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kom vila hos mig" | Bolyos | "Come Rest with Me" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Det bästa som nånsin kan hända" | Uno Svenningsson | "The Best Thing That Ever Can Happen" | 3:10 |
| 3. | "Det är nu" | Ulf Schagerström | "It Is Now" | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Längtan" | Bolyos | "Longing" | 3:04 |
| 5. | "Sista sommarens vals" | Fredriksson | "Last Summer's Waltz" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Aldrig längre bort än nära" | Schagerström | "Never Farther Away Than Near" | 2:46 |
| 7. | "Bara 3 ord" | Kenneth Gärdestad | "Just 3 Words" | 3:34 |
| 8. | "Känn dig som hemma" | Gessle | "Make Yourself at Home" | 4:17 |
| 9. | "Jag undrar vad du tänker på" | Bolyos | "I Wonder What You're Thinking About" | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Stjärna som brinner" | Johan Kinde | "Star That Burns" | 3:42 |
| 11. | "I morgon" | Schagerström | "Tomorrow" | 3:31 |
| 12. | "Vad vore jag utan dig" | Bolyos | "What Would I Be Without You?" | 2:41 |
| Total length: | 40:50 | |||
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofNu!.[5]
Musicians
Additional musicians
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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