Very good Swedish pop music
R. A. Bosch | Brighton, UK | 12/18/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As far as I know, this is his debut album, with two very successful singles in Sweden to date: the excellent Du far gora som du vill (in the style of Travis or the ballads by Robbie Williams) and the rockier Hos dig ar jag underbar. There is a good balance between ballads and up-tempo songs, and the album shows that the Swedes don't have to turn to English to make excellent pop-music. If you like groups like Cardigans, Catatonia or Stereophonics, you are very likely to enjoy listening to this album."
No language barrier here
tropic_of_criticism | 12/06/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Patrik Isaksson stands as a kind of beacon of hope in the pop music world, quixotically tilting at the windmills of English-language supremacy. Where other non-English speakers have caved in to the lure of greater fame, Isaksson hasn't yet sung in foreign tongues, preferring instead to a deliver extremely high quality pop to the comparatively tiny Swedish market. NAR VERKLIGHETEN TRANGER SIG PA is thus the fruit of Isaksson being true to himself. There's a lot to be true to. His rich voice demands the attention of listeners, no matter what their native language is. He imparts such tangible emotion, particularly in the Swedish chart-topping ballads "Du Får Göra Som Du Vill" and "Kan Du Se Mig", that it scarcely matters whether you understand the lyrics. You can entirely appreciate this album on quality of Isaksson's voice alone.What does he sound like? Well, to my ears his voice is perhaps closest to Stephan Jenkins, lead singer of Third Eye Blind. Unlike Jenkins, though, Isaksson isn't part of a band, and so songs are wholly arranged around his voice. Though his voice is definitely up to the challenge, he's sometimes disserved by background music which is obviously electronically-generated or disconsonantly grand in its sweep. To be sure, Isaksson's voice would be better featured in a band of equals, rather than depending entirely on his own talent. Indeed there are hints along the way--mere phrases of music- where you'd think that an equal participant in the music creation process--a fellow band member--would've argued for and gotten a truer sound. More to the point, other voices in this as-yet-mythical band would potentially bring in different musical tastes and prevent future albums from becoming too much like the one before it. None of this is to say, of course, that the enjoyment of the album is really spoilt by these studio excesses. I'm mostly just waxing hypothetical future. In the actual present, Isaksson has put out a first class first effort. I highly recommend it as both an example of quality non-English pop, and as an introduction to one of the strongest male singers currently recording anywhere in the world."
Love it!
basen79 | 04/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't know very much Swedish, the first song that I ever learned was Du Far Gora Som Du Vill. This guy sings with passion. I wish that he would only put out an ablum in English!"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1