2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Five star album, four star "remixing" for US/UK audiences, October 22, 2010
This review is from: Pieces [Explicit] (MP3 Download)
Erik Hassle is a criminally overlooked talent. He has one of the purest and most soulful voices to come along in many years. He's also managed to write an entire debut album FULL of great pop songs, pop songs that are probably just too good to reach the audience deserved. Somehow Ke$ha and Katy Perry have broken big in that market in the US, but Erik is the real deal. The only drawback is that the original versions of these songs from his original Swedish album "Hassle" have been over-remixed and over-reproduced in a sorry attempt to cater to the "market." The original versions (same recordings, just less obnoxiously overdubbed) conveyed his talent to perfection. The commercially bastardized versions available here don't hit the mark quite as sweetly. Nonetheless, the songs and the voice are not to be denied. If you like pop music and have any kind of more highly evolved taste than a 12-year old girl, just one listen to Erik's music will likely draw you in and captivate you. My personal suggestions are the amazing singles "Hurtful" and "Don't Bring Flowers," as well as "Isn't It Obvious" and "Amelia." That being said, there's really not a less than stellar song here. Don't miss the wealth of great "home-grown" style videos he's posted on youtube, either. His covers of Sam Cooke's "Nothing Can Change This Love," ABBA's "S.O.S.," and Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters" are all spine-tingling...
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