MITT I LIVET

Like Mike Oldfield, in the 1980s, we have here an instrumental artist doing a vocal album. And like Mike Oldfield, Bo Hansson is much better as an instrumental artist. In fact, some of the songs on 'Mitt I Livet' (middle of life) remind me a bit of Mike Oldfield's vocal side. But the thing is, I like some of these songs. Bo's music always held a strong, rather haunting mood for me that reflects an obvious love for the outdoors, and there is still a bit of this mood on this album as well. Ensamtruten, for example, has a warm, sweet sound, and features a rather nice, albeit short, instrumental bit. Unfortunately, those nice instrumental bits are few and far between. Still, Bo's personality does emerge at times, and I enjoy this album to a point. Toward the end, the album falters however, and the last couple songs bring down the overall level of the album. So I will listen to this album occasionally, but folks for the most part I think will be disappointed overall. 2.5 stars