Floor Jansen, if you don`t know already is a Dutch singer, songwriter, and the lead vocalist of Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish who releases her debut album `Paragon` this month. She is a soprano with a vocal range of more than three octaves who first became known as a member of symphonic metal band After Forever, then ReVamp. Nightwish brought in Jansen as a touring member until the end of their Imaginaerum World Tour before they announced that she was their full-time lead vocalist in 2012.
The album opens with `My Paragon` which is piano led and has a kind of Celtic folk tinge with lyrics that are pretty uplifting and may well have come from the strength the singer gained having recently undergone treatment for breast cancer. It`s a more anthemic pop based tune with allows the singers vocals a free reign to soar at times throughout. There`s a more introspective ballad number in `Daydream` which is at times quite dreamy but does have an underlying resilience and strength especially expressed throughout the lyrics.
`Invincible` has a churning rock vibe and I have to say the vocals are a wonderful mixture of power and gentle delicacy. The song has a slight orchestrated feel at times and I read that it was written for the injured war veterans at the Invictus Games, originally planned to take place in 2020 in the Hague until the pandemic got in the way. We enjoy another reflective number with `Hope` which I must say, found me drifting off in thoughts of my own.
`Come Full Circle` has a larger than life anthemic texture and could have easily fitted into a Nightwish set with a slight tweak. There`s a vulnerability in the vocals shared in `Storm` a real power ballad with an optimistic message offered.
`Me Without You` has an edgier touch with a clanging percussive heartbeat running throughout as the singer`s vocals ascend the heights. There`s a complexity about the musical background which allows the vocals to rise and fall. There is a tranquillity or sereneness about `The Calm` which feels as if it could really burst apart if the singer so desired.
`Armoured Wings` has a kind of questioning, searching perception about it although it seems to be a number in support of somebody close to the narrator. The album closes out with `Fire` which opens with just piano and vocals before evolving into a fairly ethereal love song of sorts with some delightfully orchestrated strings .It`s a track that is about returning to life after lockdown.
`Paragon` was a really interesting listen and gave this artist a platform to express herself in a much more pop oriented style and certainly highlighted what a magnificent voice she has. I managed to catch Nightwish last December in London and this lady has a really gifted vocal range. I would personally love to hear her belt out some numbers with a post-punk come indie band so maybe that might be something for a future solo album.
There`s so much to enjoy on `Paragon` which implies a person or thing viewed as a model of excellence and saying that this is a pretty outstanding listen. I`d encourage you to allow it into your life and promise you that you won`t be disappointed.
Rating 8.5 / 10
