Somewhere In The City

Tobias Fröberg | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 2011)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cheap Lullaby
• ASIN: B000GETWPE
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #300,347 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. When the Night Turns Cold

2. Love and Misery

3. God's Highway

4. For Elisabeth Wherever You Are

5. The Features of a Human Face

6. Somewhere in the City

7. What a Day

8. Oh My Love (Here She Comes Again)

9. Someone

10. Thank You

11. Forever Is Just a Word in a Lovesong

Editorial Reviews

In a set of explanatory notes published on his website and intended to place his songs into perspective Swedish singer/songwriter Tobias Froberg often makes a point of stressing the casualness of his writing and recording process. One song he says was recorded in the open air on a hot July day the birds chirping above. Another was recorded on his sofa. Yet another was penned after consuming a couple of bottles of wine and still another in a guitar store. Yet despite the presumably easygoing approach to its creation and its general minimalism Somewhere in the City feels neither informal nor tossed off. While simplicity is its hallmark there are also moments of deceptive complexity: layers of lush choral vocal harmonies bold instrumental statements words that require considerable thought. Fr?berg's gentle alternative folk-pop has been compared to the likes of Paul Simon and Nick Drake (the former is evident the latter hardly) and contemporary benchmarks might include Devendra Banhart Damien Rice and Bright Eyes. But there's no real reason to play spot the influence here: Froberg is an original and Somewhere in the City the artist's second album is a delicious trifle. Nearly every instrument is played by Froberg and his co-producer Linus Larsson and although a few guests are brought on board (Norway's Ane Brun sings a duet with Fr?berg on Love and Misery) this is clearly not a group effort. Froberg's skillful acoustic guitar work (again as on God's Highway reminiscent of Simon's particularly his early folk style) is smartly placed up front throughout most of the recording miked closely and used wisely to set the pensive sometimes melancholy mood. And that's where Froberg feels most comfortable: in quiet reflection. When the album does on occasion raise its volume and venture toward rock it feels lost the lone exception being When the Night Turns Cold the opening bongo-driven pop gem that for some inexplicable reason was used in a European ad for Panasonic cameras. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply put, absolutely fantastic, February 27, 2008

By 

David Ham (Annandale, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Somewhere In The City (Audio CD)

I first heard Tobias when I went to see my friend, Jenny Owen Youngs, live at the IOTA club in Arlington, VA. I asked her who the dude tuning up on stage was. "That's Tobias. He's a sorta folksy Paul Simon type. Really good." I said "Sounds cliché and boring." I could not have been more wrong. Over the next twenty minutes or so, I had my socks knocked off, put back on and then knocked off again. From the time he opened with "When the night turns cold" until his final song, "God's Highway", I was entranced. It's not just that he performs well - he does - but his songs are both catchy and warming. Lyrics like "I found my love and I lost my friend / On God's highway / I fell and fell and I will fall again / On God's highway" tell a human story that is easy to relate to.

There is not a bad song on this disc, and I would put fully six of the eleven on a "best tracks" list - "When the night turns cold", "Love and misery", "God's Highway", "For Elisabeth, wherever you are", "What a day" and "Thank you". I never skip a single track. It is just that good.

There is a lot of music being made nowadays - a lot of CDs competing for your hard earned money. This is one of the few that is worth it.