What would Prince sound like if he worked with Michael Jackson, a great funk jam band, and some of the hottest writers and producers Sweden has to offer? I’m pretty sure he’d sound a lot like Swedish pop star Juvelen. The 31 year-old star, whose voice sounds young and fresh but whose lyrics and passion betray the actual life experience to mean what he’s singing, serves us up a hot dish of immensely catchy and sometimes truly memorable electro-pop funk.
Juvelen is no stranger to the industry with some rock bands and success in his past, but a revelation involving the pure genius and mastery of funk icon Prince altered the course of his music career. Now with his solo debut album, 1, Juvelen is working with some of the best, like Patrick Berger, whose resume boasts the impressive Robyn, and has already shown Sweden just how funky sexy he is, but can he tackle the rest of the world?
The album bursts with “Don’t Mess,” a sleek and sexy bass guitar & synth track that is as much of an 80s throwback as it is the first in many an homage to Prince. Not only is Juvelen’s voice perfect to take on such a task, but he strains in all the right places, something I will delve into a little later. “Hanna” is definitely more of a modern dance rock track, xylophone notwithstanding, and continues to showcase this man’s considerable talents with a catchy chorus and regretful lyrics. Following that track is “Baby, When You’re Gone,” the equivalent to modern porn music. Late night drums and bass, a slow, sexy beat, and flighty staccato electronic noises all assuage your senses before Juvelen himself oozes in with a silky smoothness that is surprising with his voice but also quite welcome.
Juvelen’s voice is different from most you will hear anywhere you go. We’re all used to the attitude of pop stars and the soft vulnerability of indie stars; we’ve heard the aggression of hip-hop stars and the power of the dance divas, but when hearing Juvelen, I hear something I’m not entirely used to. I didn’t grow up with Prince so this *may* be a new phenomenon for me but an old one for others, I can’t really say. Juvelen already sings in a near-falsetto voice, something that drives the music on it’s own really, but you can tell when he pushes his voice higher and higher, straining and pleading, that he means it. He isn’t doing it because the music calls for it, he isn’t doing it for fun, there’s real emotion there. I feel more comes from him in those brief parts than the rest of the album, which is saying something. The reason I bring this up is because he does just that in “They Don’t Love You,” desperately trying to get the girl of his affections to realize that he’s the only one that loves her right, physically and emotionally, and he wants to start a family with her. It’s definitely an odd sentiment coming from a pop star, but also an extremely fresh and refreshing one. It doesn’t hurt that “They Don’t Love You” is one of the more upbeat and impressive songs on the album.
Other standouts include “Watch Your Step,” (purchase/download) a song so utterly memorable that I surgically removed the first few seconds and threw them on my phone as my ringtone. The instrumentation is sparse and simple, the opening piano notes and trills only adding a backdrop to the beats and vox during the chorus, an effect that works to great effect. “Money Don’t Talk” is another purely dance rock number with a truly captivating collection of lyrics, bass, beats, and miscellaneous electronic noises. Juvelen goes all out to get you to dance on this track. “Summer – Spring” (purchase/download) brings up the rear of the album, grating synths alongside plinking piano while Juvelen once again serenades us in a slow groove.
Summary: The perfect summer groove album. Whether you’re dancing, driving, or doing the naughty, Juvelen provides the soundtrack.
Juvelen’s self-titled EP is available both through iTunes and the Swedish label’s website, http://www.hybrism.com. The new album 1 will be available on iTunes very soon, so keep an eye out!
Released April 2008 on Hybris Records
Ben Norman for About.com
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