Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) Attempting to shoehorn singer-songwriter Tom Levin's music into a typical genre is not an easy task to accomplish. Levin sings in a wonderfully emotive baritone that perfectly compliments his deep, insightful lyrics. The arrangements are entirely genre defying, combining simple, driving rhythms with an acoustic feeling akin to Rick Rubin's work with Johnny Cash. Levin's music utilizes a full sound as his songs build, adding in other vocalists, keyboards, and some electric guitar parts. Levin's 2011 album Tooth & Claw is not only a consistent showcase of his vast talents, but also a brilliant one. He begins strongly with "For Life Tonight." The song starts with nothing more than a tribal drum beat as an introduction to his fantastic voice. As deep as Levin's voice is in tone, it's even deeper in its emotional delivery. "The hint of skin on skin, desire in the wind/I cry please, please, please happen to me," Levin sings, and that sense of longing comes through powerfully. As the song grows closer to its end, the music of it escalates far beyond its simple beginning; the drums pound out harder, beautiful accompanying vocals surround his singing, and it all ends with a flourish. Though not as intense, Levin follows up with "Sink Your Teeth In The Day." Where "For Life Tonight" is hopefully morose, "Sink Your Teeth..." is an optimistic, carpe diem rallying cry. Once again, the song features a remarkable build to it with the end of the track being bouncy and jubilant. In terms of being upbeat, this is about as peppy as Tooth & Claw gets. The title track is beautifully optimistic; Levin sings about a couple fighting to make it through their lives while anticipating the birth of their child. The music is hard and driving during the chorus, chugging along in a militant beat, a symbolic representation of the fight to continue on. The true joy of Levin's songwriting is its simmering intensity that creeps up on you as you continue to listen. To that extent, the best song here is "Burst Out In Flames." The scene is immediately set as the singer starts, "I put my make up on, rehearsing every word/I straighten my shirt and let out my hair/Knees are shaking, my mouth is getting dry/A breath of hope is in the air." As the small story unfolds, it's clear that Levin is singing the role of a performer giving his all on-stage. The instrumentation is very basic; guitar, piano, and minimal percussion. The vocal performance is what drives the song home, capturing the hope, desire, and passion of the song's character. Despite being mostly genre defying, there are moments that are fairly clear-cut in terms of sound. "Longing Is The Life You Found" is a very country sounding duet between Levine and a female vocalist who seems to be beautifully channeling Emmylou Harris. When the drum track kicks in, it's a very light brush performance, giving the two singers room for their voices to intertwine beautifully. About midway in the song, there's also a beautiful piano solo that chimes out the song's primary melody against percussion. Also, "Gabriel's Gone Missing," with its heavy organ sound and lyrical matter, is undoubtedly rooted in the music of the Christian church; the titular Gabriel being one of the mightiest angels. Hearing Levin sing in this kind of sound is chilling, thanks in no small part to his wonderful voice, and delivery. "I'm Your Son" closes the album, and has the most dramatic vocal performance by Levin on the album. The song is built on top of a mellow piano performance with Levin singing about a character, possibly himself, and the relationship between him and his Father. The lyric is achingly beautiful to the point where writing only a portion of it here would not do it justice. Essentially, Levin manages to sum up the concepts of living up to a parent's expectations, the parent's concerns about their child, the bonds of a relationship, and how time places pressure on a relationship as well. Near the song's end, Levin sounds like he's singing his heart out. It's a magnificent way to close this work. Many of the other songs featured on Tom Levin's Tooth & Claw are varying degrees of majestic, poignant, beautiful, unique, and other positive adjectives. Few singer-songwriters are equally able to sing and write with such passion and conviction as Levin does. The unique sound of the recording too provides it with a kind of universal appeal that, going back to the Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash recordings, also sounds timeless. Tooth & Claw is a wonderfully constructed album and provides a journey into various emotions, guided by a voice that conveys raw feeling like few others could. Review by Music Writer Heath Andrews Rating: 9/10 Tooth and Claw is the fourth album by the Swedish singer/songwriter. The album’s title might conjure some menacing visuals, but once Tom opens his mouth and his voice fills the room, any thoughts that this music is going to be dark disappear. Tom’s voice could best be described as what Ian McCulloch would sound like if he ever went the folk route. The songs on Tooth and Claw vary in their subject matter, but they all share one thing in common, a slow, mellow tone. It is his voice that really makes the songs stand out. His baritone seems to be able to reach the lower notes in his range as well as the higher notes. The instrumentation is minimal, which allows the listener to focus on what is really important, Tom’s singing and the lyrics. It is most likely that combination that won him the “AC Best Male Artist of the Year” award by New Music Weekly in 2006. Tooth and Claw is further proof of Tom’s skill in writing and singing. “Evermore” is the lead single and it is one of the more melancholy tracks on the album. As Tom sings “Oh Lord,” in the songs chorus as well as the final “Evermore,” listeners will be stunned by how deep his voice is. Listeners are treated to another sample of that range on the title track. The use of hand claps lightens the mood of a song about recovery. There are several songs that stand out above the others on Tooth and Claw, and the album’s opening track “For Life Tonight” is one of them. It has a wonderful melody that is a perfect showcase for Tom’s voice. It is one of the more romantic tracks. The deepness of the notes Tom pulls out can only be described as sexy. When he sings “Could you be the one for me” there will inevitably be a sea of women waving their arms in the air to attract his attention. The best example of Americana on this record is “Sink Your Teeth Into The Day.” This song has it all, a great beat, catchy lyrics and backing vocals that really work with the song, because those vocals are more like a chorus than just a backing vocal. That backing really makes the song feel uplifting. It is the kind of song that you listen to repeatedly and each time your mood improves. “Longing is the Life You Found” is a haunting tune. The female vocal is a perfect foil to Tom’s deep baritone. The two voices blend beautifully for all their differences. One of the more unique songs is “Burst Into Flames,” a slow, melancholy ballad. The simple guitar is almost eclipsed by the vocal, which fills the room and the listener can only focus on that. The lyrics are equally powerful, as Tom sings about a singer stepping onto the stage, hoping to be loved, while suffering from insecurities. The imagery of the song is so strong that it is hard not to visualize the performer and all his emotions as the song plays on. “Gabriel’s Gone Missing” has a wonderful organ and the backing track really gives the song a funereal tone. There’s such a wide array of emotions conveyed in the music on Tooth and Claw. “I’m Your Son,” is a wonderful song of son’s love for his father. The song doesn’t need more than the simple piano melody and the tambourine to bring the lyrics to life. There are few albums that are so moving and so simplistic, but Tooth and Claw is definitely one of them. This is an album that won’t leave you and most importantly, it is an album you won’t want to leave you. Tooth and Claw is by far one of the best albums of 2011 thus far. Mossip, elfslut "As a songwriter and vocalist, Tom Levin has a voice that resonates with life experience, longing and emotion. He is a storyteller. On his fourth album, Tooth and Claw, all this continues to resonate. His smooth baritone voice feels more in control and emotional on this album than on his previous ones; more introspective and self-assured. The production is sparse with an earthy sound that frames his voice and songs perfectly, giving this whole album a uniqueness that is rare today. The organic production reminds me of the early work of Tom Waits." Nordic Sounscapes, Brian Hobbs "This album takes us on a cinematic journey down the open road of our emotions and consciousness. The songs are pensive, with a true sense of Americana and a definite sense of place: you can almost see the highways and neon signs illuminating the dark nights." Nordic Sounscapes, Brian Hobbs
"Han sjunger rakt och tillbakalutat, med musikaliskt närmast lekfulla engelska texter, samtidigt som han berättar en historia. Nästan omärkligt ger Levin det intima en allt högre puls och vet exakt hur långt han ska sträcka sig. På det viset kan han bjuda på tretton låtar med en lågmäld, men för lyssnaren allt tydligare variation, där det som vid första lyssningen framstår som okomplicerat och avskalat efter hand ger allt djupare avtryck och intryck. Jag kan bara kapitulera."
Värmlands Folkblad, Björn Stefanson
"Tooth and Claw är hans fjärde album och det kan mycket väl bli med vilket han slår igenom på bredare front. Det här är toner som kommer att slå an en sträng i mångas hjärtan. Det är ingen svårtillgänglig musik. Snarare något som kunde ackompanjera känslosamma kärleksscener i breda Hollywoodproduktioner. Varje låt har sin egen karaktär och Levin en känsla för melodier. Den avskalade lägereldssättningen korsas med en syntetisk känsla där Willie Nelson och Daniel Lanois möter U2 och David Grey." Dalarnas Tidning, Fredrika Hillervik "Det är lätt att tänka sig att musiken är gitarrbaserad, men när man lyssnar andra gången upptäcker man att låtarna har egna sammansättningar av tydliga och enkla instrument, där gitarren bara är ett av dem. Orgeln i Norrmalms kyrka på ”Gabriel´s Gone Missing” är ett roligt exempel på uppfinningsrikedomen. Albumet är en eftertänksam resa genom livet med Tom Levins lätt trotsiga livsmod. Singeln ”Evermore” om att leva i nuet, har ett beat som känns livgivande bland alla reflekterande och eftertänksamma arrangemang och texter. Kanske är det inte hitkänsla, men det är ett försiktigt jublande konstaterande att livet vinner." Kulturbloggen, Cecilia Dalman Eek "Den som lyssnat något på Tom Levin tidigare kommer genast att märka en viss skillnad. På Tooth and claw är allting mer genomgående avskalat och naket än på sina föregångare. Och det klär honom utmärkt. Man kommer närmare rösten och hans berättelser som förtjänar att lyssnas på." Barometern, Dennis Andersson "Möjligt att den här uppfattas som lite svårare. Men inte sämre. Snarare tvärtom. Och duetten med Anna Stadling är jättefin." Barometern, Dennis Andersson "Utsökta melodier Han har en typisk berättarstämma, svenske Tom Levin, i sin djupa och uttrycksfulla röst. På sitt nya album Tooth and Claw har han dragit ned på de stora arrangemangen till förmån för en mer avskalad ljudbild. Det gör att hans stillsamt pregnanta sångröst framträder än tydligare. Det har helheten vunnit på. Inte minst innebär det att hans texter och utsökta melodier får en än större tyngd." Upsala Nya Tidning, Björn G Stenberg "Tom Levin gör inget som inte gjorts förut. En singer/songwriter som står bekvämt tillbakalutad mot en amerikansk tradition. Men han gör det bra." ”Tooth and Claw” är hans tredje skivsläpp och countryinslagen från tidigare plattor får nu mindre plats. Det är på det hela taget rätt avskalat där Levins mörka och fina stämma får välförtjänt stor plats. Låtmaterialet är dessutom tillräckligt fint utmejslat för att aldrig bli ointressant. Pampiga inledningsspåret ”For life tonight” är en höjdpunkt tillsammans med titelspåret med sin tydliga rytmik." Västerbottens Folkblad, Niclas Holmlund "En samling låtar där berättandet står i centrum. Det är inte direkt muntert, å andra sidan inte deprimerande heller utan reflekterande och något sorgset. Tom har en förhållandevis mörk stämma, och det särskiljer honom från det mesta vi hör i dag. Samtidigt kan rösten närmast jämföras med Robbie Williams i den senares mer dämpade stunder." Norran, Per Strömbro ”Avskalat och vackert Det är inte svårt att höra att svenske Tom Levin varit bosatt i USA. Hans avskalade och skönt tillbakalutande countryinfluerade singer/songwriter-musik bottnar en hel del i bland annat sentida Johnny Cash.” Allenhanda, Peter Carlsson "Tom Levin put the crowning touch on the Lucia Night concert. He sounds damn good on CD, but he’s totally irresistible and something extraordinary when heard live." Lilith Eve "A jaw dropper. Choirs wait behind every corner. I’ll have to listen to it many times before I dare to believe that it’s real!" Casino P4, Lisa Wall "Throughout all of the songs there is a beautiful and relaxed attitude, and Tom’s voice is a big part of that /…/ Behind the CD’s ingenious title, there are a whole lot quality songs that have Tom Levin written all over them. /…/ There’s inspiration here from blues and gospel, there are many strong melodies. The lyrics to You don’t need your God are understated and definitely demand reflection. An interesting new release." Norrbottens-Kuriren, Micke Forsberg "A tasteful mix of singer-songwriter, pop, gospel, country and a drop of jazz. The album reaches its greatest heights in the collaboration with Immanuel gospel on the tracks Save me now, Throw in a t-shirt and You don’t need your god, but the material is strong throughout and I am really taken with " Musiklivet.com, it /…/ Me, my band that I älskar, Kasper and a bunch of friends sounds so good that I can’t stop playing it./…/Roger Bengtsson "Sumptuous and fatal rock poetry" Musiknytt.nu "Check out `I miss her missing me´. That’s exactly how it feels." Fredrik Virtanen, Aftonbladet "These are songs so surprisingly strong that they deserve the best possible framework/…/ Tom Levin writes very good lyrics; it doesn’t even seem strange when he becomes a bit didactic. We can only hope that listeners will appreciate his great songs, appealing arrangements and genuine craftsmanship." Värmlands Folkblad, Björn Stefanson "Magical, low-key alternative rock. A blend between the majesty of Pink Floyd and the subtle presence of a singer-songwriter /…/ This unbelievably well-crafted album makes you feel good in every way." Nya Wärmlands Tidningen, Anna Sims "Tom Levin is a melody creator of rank /…/ After an upward rise throughout the whole concert, we are taken down again and the calming I thank you ends the evening. This thank-you song to Tom Levin’s family seems just as much like a thank-you song to those of us in the audience. I’m still humming." Konsertrecension, Musiklivet.com, Mattias Jägerskog "Tom Levin is an unusual Swedish artist, in part because of the time he spent in Alaska and Australia and in part because of the sound of his music. Tom Levin's music is as American sounding as anything coming out of the states. His mix of americana, country, bluegrass, pop and even gospel would fit on just about any AAA station in this country (compare to Josh Rouse, Robert Earl Keen or Joe Henry). " http://swedesplease.blogspot.com |
