Review EINAR SOLBERG ’16’

Einar Solberg became known as the singer and keyboarder of Leprous. Together with his bandmates, he has been enchanting listeners since 2001, which was evident not least on the tour that has just come to an end.

With ’16’, the singer now presents a solo album. The title of the album goes back to Solberg’s past. The phase between his 16th and 19th years were very influential. According to Solberg, “bad things” happened which changed Solberg. A lot of things lost their innocence and the seriousness of life, with all its dark sides, began to present itself. However, ’16’ does not only cover the dark moments, but also has more positive things, such as the phase when Solberg began to become part of a band and thus part of a community.

In collaboration with many colleagues and friends, an album was created that puts Solberg’s voice in the foreground. With his high and controlled falsetto voice, the singer creates a very special atmosphere. It is not difficult to follow this album and its flow which also goes along with the emotional depth. Even if you don’t follow the lyrics word for word, Solberg manages to portray the emotionality through the music, with the lyrics being more of a supporting element.

16′ is a widely diversified album where calm sounds like in ‘Blue Light’ meet with rockier elements. The combination of both components is called ‘A Beautiful Life’, a composition that has both. the very reflective and calm moments, to go straight into the full afterwards. Moreover, Solberg’s vocal richness is well displayed on this track and one notices the classical training; vocal techniques that benefit the singer to this day.

‘Splitting the Soul’ resonates darkly to the listener. In addition, it is the husky vocals of Ihsahn, which give the track a special touch and intensify the emotional voltage field even more. Contrasting this is ‘Over the Top’, a profound and peaceful track. At this point of the album the whole musical range of Einar Solberg is again displayed, which of course also applies to the epic closing track ‘The Glass is Empty’. The title says it all. This is not a happy closing chapter. Rather, the burden of life is set to music, which, however, closes the cycle of these eleven songs in a very effective way.

’16’ is a very emotional album, equipped with a certain restlessness, which is expressed in an impressive fashion. This record is very personal and therefore very emotive. Solberg succeeds in presenting this emotionality through music and those who bring a little time to the plate will have the opportunity to start a journey in the multi-layered nature of ’16’.