CD Review: Andreas Johnson

Andreas Johnson: Liebling (WEA)

By the BBC's Nigel Packer

If a great album is an epic rollercoaster ride of emotion, then Liebling must be the equivalent of a quick turn on the dodgems.

Enjoyable enough while it lasts, it's not the kind of experience to turn your world upside down - and something of a disappointment after the pristine promise of Top Five single Glorious.

With his distinctive drawl and authentic pop star looks, the 28-year-old Swede is being billed in some quarters as a superstar in the making.

Johnson's debut single is riding high in the charts

Unfortunately, Liebling lacks one important detail - truly memorable songs.

Instead it's a fairly underwhelming collection of lightweight rock and maudlin ballads, with little of the emotional intensity needed to make a lasting impression.

Where a great singer-songwriter would sound tortured, Johnson simply sounds a little under the weather, which may be a more recognisable state of mind but hardly makes for essential listening.

Glorious kicks things off in energetic fashion, but from there on in it often sounds uncomfortably like one long collection of B-sides.

'Radiohead on Prozac'

People is sprightly enough, while The Games We Play ambles along like Radiohead on Prozac, but after a promising start the strong tunes soon begin to fade.

Swedish-born Johnson is now based in the US

By the time the low-key Should Have Been Me sweeps into view we're into the land of the late night sax solo, and Johnson sounds more tired than inspired.

The album's handful of high points - including the guitar-driven Breathing - suggest that he is at his best writing upbeat pop songs.

But the dominant mood is one of melancholy, and by and large his lyrics lack the spark needed to raise these tales of longing and regret above the level of self-pity and into something compelling.

Unbreakable is the exception to the rule. An impressively still song set against a picked acoustic backdrop, it finally sees the fleeting moments of promise fulfilled.