Tobias Froberg Somewhere In The City by: Gina Marich Mon:02-Jul-07 Label: Playground Year: 2007 WB rating 72 out of 100

I'm not sure about guys with guitars who 'sing sensitive songs about girls and stuff' as one reviewer of Tobias Froberg's new and second album put it. Sounds like someone with a whole lotta feelings that are waiting to be dropped unwillingly like a sack of cute, furry kittens on the listening public. In most cases, artists described as sensitive are likely to be soppy, but after listening to this album, it is clear that this isn’t Tobias’ deal.

With Somewhere in the City, Froberg, the oh-so Swedish man with shaggy, slightly scary hair and very piercing eyes, explores a whole register of emotion without ever losing a sense of cool humour and dry wit. His voice is sweet and soulful, sailing effortlessly across the register, his sentiment reminiscent of fellow Swede Jens Lekman, although lacking Lekman’s sense of irony and ability to laugh at himself.

Somewhere in the City is definitely an album to shelve under ‘new folk revival’, next to Jose Gonzales and not too far away from Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, the influence of which, along with Simon and Garfunkle, isn’t hard to hear. Not surprisingly Froberg performed at Wales’ most famous folk music event, the Green Man Festival this year. Not quite folktronic, the expansion of his sound is based on electronic effects, usually overlaying the main melody with retro sounding keyboard riffs.

The other thing a lot of reviews and hype around the album belie is that Froberg’s music isn’t actually sad or even melancholy. The opening track, ‘When the Night Turns Cold’ is an upbeat, feel good tune with a positive, rich sound; precisely the sort of song that would be used by a multinational corporation in an ad campaign – see Panasonic adopting it for their new television advertisement. It isn't the only song where Froberg veers to the mainstream, the title track being pure pop ballad, and ‘What A Day’ is a likewise happy, inoffensive tune.

But there are some very touching, austere tracks as well and it is in these that Froberg really seems to come into his own as a folk artist. His strength lies in using his voice to express emotions; he can sing the same lyrics over and over but convey a new feeling or idea each time. ‘Love and misery’ is a song to listen to after breaking up. It’s a remorseful lullaby, one man and his guitar dealing with loss and longing. The female vocalist, Ane Brun, sings beautifully, her presence being one of the highlights of the album. This song pulls at the heartstrings, building slowly and delicately to a rich and powerful finish.

‘Oh My Love’ is likewise a strong performer. Truly beautiful, this is a song that deserves to be up there with the likes of Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne', it’s soulful, but inventive keyboard riffs stop the music from validating the rumours of Froberg as a sop singer. The next song ‘Someone’ adds variation to the instrumental palette of Somewhere In The City, its vibraphone echoing and reverberating, a pleasant distraction. However, Froberg’s use of variation isn’t always a positive thing, ‘God's Highway’ steers towards pure religious folk, its preachiness out of place, more fitting of a Christian rock band.

Still as an overall package Froberg would have been better off taking more chances, the end result fails to push any boundaries, something which could damage its replay value. The lyrics are pretty repetitive throughout and this may be a result of Froberg’s partial grasp of English. As a result, none of the songs really tell a story and any attempt to decipher a larger meaning is likely to be frustrated.

Still, this is an album worth having and enjoying, smooth without being pretentious, I can’t help think that soppy was a hard rap for Froberg.