BERTINE ZETLITZ
BEAUTIFUL SO FAR
ALBUM EMI RELEASE: LATE 2000 (NORWAY), FEBRUARY 5, 2001 (SWEDEN) REVIEW: MARCH 23, 2001

This is the follow-up to the debut "Morbid Late Night Show", which gave this talented Norwegian girl four single hits and two Grammys in her home country. She's star in Norway, no doubt, but fairly unknown elsewhere.
Like in Sweden, where this album is put together. Producer Tore Johansson has lost his trademark retro vibes, since we're hearing about up-to-date hi-tech pop tunes here. The back drop includes elements of modern electronic dance music, but this it's light weight pop songs we're talking about here above all else. They sound truly great, but I wish Zetlitz would focus much less on airplay and charts. This is reminscent of country men Bel Canto's most commercial moments. Zetlitz makes me think of Bel Canto vocalist Annelie Drecker more than once. A coincidence?

MIKAEL KAHRLE