When I first looked at this album cover, it immediately made me think of the early Seventies and “Hair”: then I started playing it and I realised that musically it also belongs to that period. This album is packed full of passion and emotion, the likes of which we haven’t heard since the demise of Stone The Crows. With guitars and Hammond organ in unison, it takes a strong singer to rise above it all, and Heidi Solheim has the power, range, and emotion to make this all very much her own. At the end of 2016 she returned to her home village, sat down in front of the piano, took a deep breath and pushed the “reset” button in her head. Then she started to write songs for ‘Ninja’. The songs were recorded in just one day (yes, one) in January and after three days of overdubs it was done. It is strange to think that in these days of a million songwriters working together to create a pop hit, and music being created in a studio in a painstaking manner with the use of autotune, that here we have a band where it was all completed organically and quickly by real musicians – no room for studio trickery or remixing of someone else’s work, this is the real deal. It feels down and dirty, bluesy and sweaty, and I love it. There is a real honesty to this music, something that is so sadly lacking in much of what hits the charts, and it is as if I have gone back in time some forty years or so, and am again discovering what the world of British rock had to offer. True, this does feel a little American at times (Janis has obviously been an influence), but to me this Norwegian act sound as British as they come. Heidi has also provided her thoughts on each of the songs, so what are they all about?
You Are The One’
“Things aren’t always quite what they seem through the eyes of a teenager. This song is about how things can change. I had a pretty tough time growing up. Ambitions and creativity wasn’t something you should have too much of. God forbid you should stand out from a group! In my home village, this was like saying that you think are better than everyone. I learned from an early age that to be regular and average was the only way to be accepted, and as a result I was bullied for being different. I really felt like a misfit and not good enough while growing up. But with some great support from my parents and me moving away at the age of 15, things changed. I learned how to become strong, independent and grooming my ambitions. Now when I meet the people that brought me down, I feel only gratitude. ‘You Are The One’ is about how the tables have turned.”
‘Sophia’
“This song is about the hunting-ground of dating. How gold and diamonds can blind some people and clear the view for others.”
‘The Perfect Crime’
“A perfect crime for me is when you can hurt someone intentionally and no one will know. This song is about one time I got my heart broken over a friend’s choice to leave me hanging. A breach of trust that hit me like a train.”
‘The Rebel Song’
“I saw an interview with a strong female artist once who talked about challenges of being a woman in the business world. Based on her own experiences she told a story about a young woman's struggle in a “man’s world”. I found it interesting and motivating how bold and though she was standing up for something so many of us have experienced. But the most fascinating thing for me was the reactions in the aftermath of the interview. How especially women dragged this artist down because of her previous choices in clothes, attitude and sexiness with the underlying argument: If you ever used botox or dressed sexy, you can’t be expected to be taken seriously. In ANY matter. Crazy, isn’t it! ‘The Rebel Song’ is my answer to this. «Analyze everything she said everything she might.
To bring her down. You wanna find her weak and twist it ‘round"
‘The Parade’
“In my home village, we had this local tough guy that everyone wanted to be. He was handsome, and most importantly: he owned his own car. That was a big deal when I grew up. If you owned your own car, that was proof that you were one of the popular ones. He was much older than me so I had never had the ambition to date the guy, but I soon started to notice how people acted around him and found it very interesting. He was a local star and it felt like a big parade every time he came in through the door.”
‘Ghost Chase’
“’Ghost Chase’ is about some peoples’ need to feel superior to others. People who boss around just to entertain the feeling of power and importance.”
‘Ninja’
“‘Ninja’ is actually a love song. It is about finding someone you are willing to fight for and stick with them. Even if it means that you have to pump up your “ninja-skills”.”
‘Jekyll & Hyde’
“This song is based around the dark thoughts you have. Your own personal demons. They can be everywhere if you choose to look. And that is sometimes the most difficult thing: to choose not to look. Everyone has their own dark moments. I seek someone I trust and love when things get tough. Someone’s arms I can hide inside. This song is about finding a way to balance the different versions of yourself in a way that will keep you going.”
‘Forget’
“This is a dream of a better tomorrow. A hope for a world without the terrible things people do to one another, without the fear, darkness and grief. “
It’s a wonderful album, and I love it. www.nuclearblast.de
