Anette Olzon – Shine

@planetmosh reviews Anette Olzon-shine

Ex-Nightwish singer Anette Olzon has just released her debut album, and what a cracker it is, mainly in the fact that she has moved as far away from the Nightwish sound as she can, yet holding onto her symphonic rock roots.

While Anette’s symphonic roots bubble below the surface on this release, she has moved into what can only be described as the ‘Pop Rock’ or ‘Pop Metal’ genre.

I’m leaning more towards Pop Rock, as the use of keyboards override the power of the guitar parts for most of the time, it is as if the guitar is a backing instrument, and the keyboards, strings and percussion take centre stage.

The first track ‘Like a show inside my head’ is very strong on this approach to Anette’s song writing, filling the soundscape with lush melodies.

“Shine” is the title track, It’s another great song and has a strong uplifting chorus and makes you soon forget about Nightwish.

It is very hard to pick out a standout track on here, ‘Floating’ has the sort of playfulness you never saw in Nightwish, and ‘Lies’ is stunning and about as symphonic as it gets on here.

One of my favourite tracks on this album is the hauntingly beautiful “Watching me from afar”. It’s a beautifully crafted love song played with on piano and drums.

If you didn’t know Anettes history, many people would take this album to heart, however I feel Nightwise fans may feel differently about it, maybe even accusing Anette of selling out. However these people must remember that this is a solo effort, and she has every right to write, compose, and sing the songs in any way she feels fit.

Anette had this to say about the release: “I am so thrilled to finally release my first solo album. “I’ve been working on it for a long time by now… The album is very personal with songs I have started writing already in 2009 but also very recent songs. The overall message of the album is that life can be really dark and filled with hardship and sadness, but you can always choose to see some light coming through, to make you stronger and full of life – making you SHINE… no matter what.”

To be honest, reviewing this has been a pleasant surprise,  with a bit more experimentation on her next album, she could rival Kate Bush.

 Track listing

 1. Like a show inside my head

2. Shine

3. Floating

4. Lies

5. Invincible

6. Hear me

7. Falling

8. Moving away

9. One million faces

10. Watching me from afar

“Shine” will be released on 31st March 2014 via earMUSIC.