FRIDA ÅNNEVIK IN THE POETRY OASIS
Norwegian songwriters often write lyrics in English. Could it be because it is easier to hide the banalities and rhyming difficulties behind a foreign language? Because when these write in Norwegian, it often results in deplorable and sometimes quite helpless texts.
But a few create good, meaningful texts in Norwegian. Frida Ånnevik is one of them. She is so good that she has received the Spellemannpris for her lyrics. That she has a flair for quality lyrics is emphasized by the fact that she has paid tribute to outstanding poets such as Hans Børli and Alf Prøysen. We have heard both of these tributes at Kongsberg, in close collaboration with good jazz musicians such as Helge Lien and Morten Qvenild. There is something close and genuinely honest about Frida Ånnevik's lyrics, and when she is also able to dress the lyrics in a musical outfit that harmonizes completely with the content, the result is remarkable. Frida Ånnevik naturally follows the tradition of Alf Prøysen.
But she is no epigone; here there are both Joni Mitchell impulses and touches of jazz. But first and foremost, Frida Ånnevik is herself. It's enough! In abundance!