Leif Vollebekk : Inland

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/leifvollebekkinland.jpg" alt=" " />His debut LP presents us with an interesting medley of mementos from Montreal. ...
8.4 Nevado
2010 

Leif Vollebekk : Inland The debut LP from Montreal newcomer Leif Vollebekk presents us with an interesting medley of mementos.  From the voice of Jeff Buckley to the words of Leonard Cohen, and with guitar standards that helped Bob Dylan to the top, the album presents us with a potent combination of well-crafted and sonically appealing features – features that made the good, great, and the great, legends.

While the silky smooth troubadour relies on all of these styles, Vollebekk manages to come out sounding wholly unique.  Whether it’s the tender nature of the collection, or perhaps the intimate fashion in which the songwriter arranged it in its entirety, Inland lives and breathes the adoration and romance of one very passionate man.  From the swooning, string-based rush of emotion on "In The Morning" to the insightful acoustic ballad "Quebec", the album pulls strongly on the heartstrings early on.

Though the rare drum/guitar arrangement on "Northernmost Eva Maria" is an excellent shake-up midway, it is the softer-spoken tracks to do the most talking here.  "1921" dons a dreamy, atmospheric sound straight out of the 1930s, which allows the singer’s smooth voice and his warm piano notes to deliver perhaps the most heartfelt performance of the album.  "Don’t Go To Klaksvik", meanwhile, blends some beautiful string arrangements with gifted harmonica playing, as the album eases off into "Ladyland", and ultimately sleepy oblivion.  "Klaksvik", and the rest of Inland’s short-yet-sweet ten tracks, show that while Montreal’s Leif Vollebekk began this work as a blank page in most of our minds, he has developed a work of art that will surely resonate there until his next.

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