Erik Grönwall has packed plenty in already. Swedish Idol, H.E.A.T, Skid Row, and now Michael Schenker have all seen his superb talents. But he’s a lot more than just “the singer in…” anything. He’s a star of musicals, he’s been a solo artist before, and it’s that latter part that concerns us here.
Bad Bones is his first solo record for 16 years, and you suspect he’s been saving a few of these choruses up.
“Born To Break” takes about a minute to get where it’s going, but that’s only because the swagger comes naturally. When the chorus lands, it does so with the sort of widescreen confidence that runs through the whole thing.
The title track rather sums him up. “Been making moves since I could crawl” is the line, and that’s the point, isn’t it? Grönwall sounds utterly comfortable being a rock star. His voice, frankly, is class.
“Praying For A Miracle” piles on the melody, and it’s so 80s you half expect to find yourself at the school disco trying to get off with Dawn Hughes. “Who’s The Winner” is the ballad, should you have been waiting. Proudly overblown, probably heading to a theatre stage near you, but make no mistake, he can carry it off.
Personal taste says the tougher, harder-edged stuff suits him best, but even “Lost For Life” is only a heartbeat away from power metal, and so what? “Twisted Lullaby” is fists-up, proud-as-you-like stuff, while “Save Me” sounds ready for stadiums. “Hell & Back” adds synths for extra grandiosity, because apparently subtlety was not invited to this party.
“How High” gets a little sassy, even funky, and the record as a whole exudes a very specific type of confidence: the kind you either have or you don’t. “Written In The Scars” is the second ballad, because hard rock law apparently demands at least 20 per cent balladry, and you can almost imagine the credits rolling.
You could have pretty much guessed what Bad Bones was going to sound like, but so what? All Erik Grönwall has ever wanted to make is arena rock, retooled for the modern age.
That’s exactly what this is. And he’s superb at it.
RATING 8/10
