E.M.D.

E.M.D.
"A STATE OF MIND"
(Sony BMG/Sweden, 2008)


"We Can"


Since I don't normally pay much attention to Swedish pop, I almost missed this one ... and it probably would have slipped past me completely unnoticed, if I hadn't happened upon another blog's coverage of it. Essentially a "Swedish Idol supergroup", E.M.D. consists of Danny Saucedo, Erik Segerstedt (both of whom were finalists in the contest's 2006 season), and Mattias Andréasson (a 2007 finalist).

Swedish pop is usually a little "too pop" for me, but boybands are another matter entirely. (Yeah, I know, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Go figure, eh?) This frankly isn't one of the best boyband albums out there -- a number of its songs are nondescript, if not downright boring -- but then, at the risk of sounding harsh, what can we expect from three also-rans from a TV talent show?

Having said that, though, this album does have its moments. I've always enjoyed "All For Love", the power-ballad made famous by Sting, Bryan Adams, and Rod Stewart, and it's nice to finally hear a version that isn't sung by three old raspy-voiced dudes. You can imagine my giddy delight when I realized that "We Can", another of the cover songs on this album, originally appeared on -- get this -- my favorite CD of 2007! Yes, that's right, they covered Eran James, of all people! Sure, neither of these covers is as good as the original, but they're just fine for me. And then there's "For You", an E.M.D. original which just plain rocks my socks.

So, bottom line: is this album worth getting? It depends. If you totally love boybands, then you won't be disappointed. If you tend to be a bit picky about your boy-pop, then as long as your expectations aren't too lofty, this should be decently enjoyable.