Helgi Jonsson (IS) SPOT Festival 2007, Musikhuset, Lille Sal, Saturday
Foto: Jan Chrillesen
Outstanding contact with the audience lifted the otherwise ordinary songs to something extraordinary.
What does it really matter that Helgi Jonsson has played slide trombone for Sigur Rós? This small part in a stylistically very different band is hardly the best approach to this Icelanders own music and smells a bit of cheap and unnecessary advertisement, because the artist can easily stand on his own.
He is a talented charmer. He flirts with the audience with a casual attitude to his own songs, which are superiorly performed, especially in regard to the singing. Unfortunately his guitar playing can’t quite stand up to this, but as long as he’s got the audience in his grip and has the courage to use the full scale of his voice it doesn’t matter much.
The song writing is not impressive yet, but his skills as a performer lifts it all up to a higher sphere. He is a smooth operator with enough boyish charm to melt the heart of the most sceptical mother in law. He is down to earth and optimistic – a man who makes the best of everything. He is very good at acting on coincidences and at using this in his music. Within this lies an ability to surprise, and this ability is the reason that you – despite the somewhat ordinary songs – never get bored in his company. Bravo!
Reviewed by: Kasper R. Schultz, GAFFA Translated by: Rasmus Elm Rasmussen/mymusic.dk
