Veronica Maggio "Och som vanligt händer det något hemskt" (2022)

Och som vanligt händer det något hemskt

release date: May 22, 2022

format: digital (12 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]

producer: Agrin Rahmani, Simon Hassle

label: Universal - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Se mig" - 3. "Låt mig gå" - 5. "Varsomhelst / Närsomhelst" - 6. "Höghusdrömmar" - 8. "Förlorat mot världen" - 9. "Var är du?" - 10. "Heaven med dig"

7th studio album by Veronica Maggio following 2½ years after Fiender är tråkigt (Oct. 2019) is once again mainly produced by Rahmani and Hassle. Actually, half of the album (six tracks) with the subtitle Kapitel 1 was released as a 6-track EP as early as Oct. 2021 - this was a first half of the full albums total of 12 tracks but released in the following order: #12, #9, #2, #5, #11, and #8, and as of May 22, the full-length album was issued, though no Kapitel 2 has been released, so if you purchased the EP and only need the remaining tracks, only option is download, or to buy the full album. This is modern and smart marketing! It's almost a natural consequence that Maggio's albums top the Swedish albums chart, but she's not only popular at home, as she in Feb. 2022 reportedly was the first artist to round 1 billion streaming hits for a Swedish-language-only performer.

Then how is the new album from one of the most popular Swedish artists? It's really everything you have come to expect. Maggio goes in the obvious direction. Popularity points and off she goes! Sales numbers are probably glowing hot and live shows will be sold out, but imho, it has become too much of what we've already heard before. As Håkan Steen in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet commented in May '22: 'she has nearly become too skilled in sounding like herself'. And then this marketing smartness really is an new player. Six tracks were issued half a year earlier as promotion gimmick, which would have been sort of Okay had they released the first half but by picking a different running order makes it bothersome, and then in addition, another four new tracks were released as singles from Mar. to May as small dripples from what was to come, so when the full album finally was released, all but two songs had already been issued. That's smart isn't it?! And not really helpful for fans - and I'm not really the strongest one there, so I just awaited the full album, but still feel fans are not treated well with this bothersome initiative. Anyway, I'm not impressed by this new outing, and frankly, I find it a dull and almost mediocre reproduction of her most recent two albums - perhaps because I normally really enjoy her albums. Even the two highlighted songs "Låt mig gå" and "Var är du?" sound a bit too familiar, and you may think they were part of one of her other albums.

Not her best, but still better than most contemporary pop albums.

[ 👍Aftonbladet 3 / 5 stars ]

Veronica Maggio "Fiender är tråkigt" (2019)

Fiender är tråkigt
release date: Oct. 25, 2019
format: vinyl (gatefold) (clear vinyl) / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,77]
producer: Simon Hassle; Agrin Rahmani
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Kurt Cobain" - 3. "Tillfälligheter" (live - akustisk live) - 4. "Jag kastar bort mitt liv" (4 / 5) - 6. "Fiender är tråkigt" - 9. "5 minuter"

6th studio album release by Swedish Veronica Maggio following nearly 3½ years after the fine Den första är alltid gratis (May 2016). The first five tracks from the album saw an early pre-release in the form of an ep in Jun. 2019 and four months later the full album was released adding the five final tracks to a release with same title and cover as the ep. This time, Maggio has written nine of the album's ten tracks in colaboration with former Kent lead vocalist Joakim Berg and producer Simon Hassle, and it has definitely rubbed off on the songs. Agrin Rahmani contributes as co-composer on four songs.

Stylistically, the album doesn't offer the huge changes to Maggio's musical universe. As usual, the songs revolve around relationships and the entanglements in what appears as her own social life. Perhaps you'll notice a touch more lightness in the songs compared to earlier ones, but otherwise the album sounds much like the continuation of Den första är alltid gratis. Musically, there is now room for tracks with a simpler synthpop sound that suits the lyrical aspect.

The album is her fourth consecutive since Satan i gatan from 2011 going all the way to the top of the chart in Sweden. As on her 2016 album, some tracks have a slightly uptempo dance pop feel, but otherwise, the impression is that it's now more clean pop-founded than outright electropop à la Robyn.

Three singles have been released from the album - the first single "Kurt Kobain" and later "Tillfälligheter", both of which peaked as number #4 on the national singles chart. The third and final single is "5 minuter" peaking at No. #7 on the same list. In this way, all of Maggio's singles from the same album have found their way into the top-10 singles list, but she has not had a top-1 single hit since "Jag kommer" from 2011. Despite three excellent tracks as singles, it's nevertheless my impression that the clearly best song is track #4, "Jag kastar bort mitt liv", which has a clear uptempo and simple synthpop quality, which with clear persuasion tells us that Joakim Berg, from the (unfortunately) defunct band Kent, is present as songwriter and perhaps also co-composer, as he is credited on several other of the album's songs - the most apparent link to the music and sound by Kent is probably heard on "Jag kaster bort mitt liv".

Overall, this new collection is once again among Maggio's better albums. It sits somewhere in between absolutely banging with something keeping it from full blossom; but this IS also the story of Maggio, who just seems to be almost there in making that truly exceptional album that really hits the mark - that great coherent release without fillers. That said, the album is well above average and compared to her previous releases, it's more than on par with the predecessor, and it's still only her 2011 album that performed better. Maggio has her very own melancholic and fragile vocal that both signals energetic rebellion in small dozes and gentle dewy-eyed sweetness, and when you realise she hasn't made the album of the decade, once again, it's still a pleasant experience listening once more to Swedish-Italian pop of high standard. Imho, this is Maggio's second best album to date.

Recommended.

[ Aftonbladet 3 / 5, Expressen.se (ep review) 4 / 5 stars ] - both in Swedish

Veronica Maggio "Den första är alltid gratis" (2016)

Den första är alltid gratis
release date: May 6, 2016
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,90]
producer: Povel Olsson; Klas Gullbrand; mfl.
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Den första är alltid gratis" (5 / 5) (live) - 2. "Vi mot världen" (4 / 5) - 4. "Dom sa!" - 5. "Gjord av sten" - 6. "Svart sommar" - 7. "Ayahuasca" - 8. "Verkligheten" - 9. "Storma tills vi dör" - 10. "Play och sen repeat"

5th studio album by Veronica Maggio is like the predecessor Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig (2013) produced by various people - but in particular by Povel Olsson and Klas Gullbrand, who have both produced 4 of a total of 12 tracks each, and the music is composed by an even bolder versatile group of people, although both Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare, Klas Gullbrand, and Povel Olsson are credited on several tracks. The title translates to 'The First Is Always for Free'.

The album topped the albums chart in Sweden as Maggio's third consecutive, and it's a really fine collection of songs, which in many ways sounds more like the natural sequel to Satan i gatan from 2011. Personally, I think her most recent 2013 album was a bit grey and not really particularly outstanding, to keep it politely. On this, on the other hand, Maggio appears to be back in uptempo gear with several sing-a-long choruses that somehow suit her best. Compared to her most recent albums, this one sounds more electropop-founded as opposed to the chamber pop feel found on the predecessor.

Now, Maggio may not possess the widest vocal range, but her voice works more than sufficiently when mixed with catchy patterns, and then she doesn't try one bit to imitate anyone else, which in contemporary pop culture is a seldom quality to hang on to.

The title track is one of her absolute best songs, but the album as such comes with a bunch of other strong songs and all in all, it's easily no less than Maggio's second best to date, basically changeling her 2011 album as her finest.

Highly recommended.

[ Gaffa.dk, Göteborgs-Posten 4 / 5 stars ]

Veronica Maggio "Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig" (2013)

Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig
release date: Oct. 4, 2013
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare, Magnus Lidehäll
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Jag lovar" - 3. "Hela huset" (feat. Håkan Hellström) - 4. "Va kvar" - 5. "Låtsas som det regnar" - 6. "Hädan efter" - 7. "Trädgården en fredag" - 10. "I min bil"

4th studio album by Veronica Maggio is produced by Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare, and Magnus Lidehäll, who are also Maggio's primary co-composers. The album follows 2½ years after her fine Satan i gatan (Apr. 2011), and I'm actually not really 'nöjd' with / impressed by the result. "Sergels torg" is the first single, and it sounds unmistakably like Maggio but is not really a strong hit song and is just like... Okay. Håkan Hellström takes part on a single track... without really impressing. There is nothing new or distinctly different from her second studio album Och vinnaren är... from 2008, and it basically ends up sounding more like the continuation of the music from 2008 than a natural departure from her most recent outing. The style is predominantly traditional pop. And where, I think there were approaches to more original synthpop on the predecessor, something that added a better balance to Maggio's music - in between the sweet and energetic - but here it's only "Hädan efter", "Va kvar", and "Trädgården en fredag", which succeed in lifting this from the average and stand out as the best songs - they are also the most up-tempo tracks among many which tend to sound a little too similar. You may only wonder why producer and composer Christian Waltz from her 2011 album doesn't participate here at all, but that may also explain why it has a different sound. Criticism aside, Maggio is still such a talented artist that she glides weightlessly through the album's songs thanks to her very own original vocal and style - and the album is overall OK, but still nowhere near her best.

[ Gaffa.dk, Gaffa.se 4 / 5 stars ]

Veronica Maggio "Satan i gatan" (2011)

Satan i gatan
release date: Apr. 27, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Christian Walz
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 1. "Satan i gatan" (4 / 5) - 2. "Välkommen in" - 3. "Jag kommer" (5 / 5) (live) - 4. "Mitt hjärta blöder" - 5. "Vi kommer alltid ha Paris" - 7. "Alla mina låtar" - 8. "Snälla bli min" (4 / 5) (live) - 10. "Finns det en så finns det flera" (4 / 5)

3rd studio album by Veronica Maggio following three full years after Och vinnaren är... (Mar. 2008) is made with producer Christian Waltz, who is also credited as composer on all but one song (track #5). The album contains 11 tracks but on the only downside its total running time only clocks in at 35 minutes.

Satan i gatan was my first listening experience with Maggio's music. It's also her big Scandinavian breakthrough album that really put her on the charts all over Scandinavia thanks to her major single hit "Jag kommer" (a song with double meaning and often mistaken lyrics).

The album was well-received by critics and it became her first album to top the charts in Sweden. "Jag kommer" was released Feb. 2011 and was the first of three singles from the album, and that also was her first to top the singles chart list. The second single "Välkommen in" peaked at number #2, and the last single, "Mitt hjärta blöder" went as high as to number #5 - so all singles were top-5 single hits. The album also secured Maggio several prize nominations at the 2011 Swedish Grammis, at Rockbjörnen - where she won two prizes and also was handed three prizes at the award show, Gaffa-priset.

The album is a clear improvement from her previous releases with many fine songs instead of just two or three noteworthy tracks. The style is still in the same blue-eyed pop soul category but now with a stronger and tighter production and hints of synthpop, which distances her music from that of Lisa Ekdahl and Lisa Nilsson, and generally just makes it ever so much more digestible. I really enjoy this, and not just for a short period of time, Imho, this is simply Maggio's best album.

Highly recommended.

Veronica Maggio "Och vinnaren är..." (2008)

Och vinnaren är...
release date: Mar. 26, 2008
format: cd
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,22]
producer: Oskar Linnros
label: Universal Music - nationality: Sweden

Track highlights: 2. "Gammal sång" - 3. "Ingen kommer undan (Inte ens i Sverige)" - 4. "Stopp" - 7. "V för vendetta" - 8. "Måndagsbarn" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by Veronica Maggio released on Universal and produced by Oscar Linnross is a fine Swedish pop soul album. The music is sweet, blue-eyed happy-go-lucky music with nothing but joy and fresh air. I bought the album some time after acquiring Satan i gatan (2011) as it was on sale. She hasn't got the most fantastic vocal range but she certainly has charm and an undefineable lightness, which makes me think of her as a clone of Lisa Ekdahl (the tiny light voice), Nina Persson of The Cardigans, and a more energetic Lisa Nilsson. Very much like Persson, she has a certain star quality of fragile lightness to her voice without being a brilliant singer. The best tracks are when she makes fun of everyday-life, i.e. "Ingen kommer undan (Inte ens i Sverige)" and "Stopp" - a track that almost forecasts her Scandinavian hit single "Jag kommer" (Satan i gatan, 2011).

Overall, it's a good attempt but generally the album lacks great songs.

Veronica Maggio "Vatten & bröd" (2006)

Vatten & bröd [debut]
release date: Sep. 6, 2006
format: digital (10 x File, MP3)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,06]
producer: Stefan Gräslund
label: Stockholm Records / Universal

Track highlights: 2. "Ingenting kvar" - 3. "Dumpa mig" - 4. "Vi har, vi har" - 8. "Nöjd" - 9. "Gå nu"

Studio album debut by Swedish artist Veronica Maggio released on Stockholm Records / Universal and produced by Stefan Gräslund, who not only has written and composed all songs but also is credited 'instruments'.
The album is held in a certain jazz pop style, which bonds to early music by The Cardigans and Bo Kaspers Orkester, I think. Maggio's voice sounds much like Nina Persson of The Cardigans on this, and there's a certain laid back feel of lounge all over.
It's generally Okay, though I don't find it very personal nor that original. The song "Dumpa mig" was her first solo single release and it made it to number #14 on the Swedish singles chart.

Veronica Maggio

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Veronica Maggio: aka Veronica Sandra Karin Maggio [birthname], born Mar. 15, 1981 in Uppsala, Sweden. She is a Swedish singer of both Swedish and Italian parents. She won the first prize as Årets Nykomling ('Debutant of the Year') at Grammisgalan 2007 in Sweden.
She started as lead vocalist in a band called Solitude, but was unnoticed until she released her debut single "Dumpa meg" ('Dump me') in 2006. I only heard her at a live performance on TV in 2011 with her hit single "Jag kommer". Her music is contemporary pop soul in a typical Scandinavian style with traces back to The Cardigans and also the Swedish vocalist, Lisa Nilsson. Maggio's lyrics often dwells on troubles in relationships, love, lost love, and the smaller things in life all dealt with a lightness, a positive approach, and a share of humour.

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