Victoria Lagerström: PRESS KIT

"Swedish chanteuse Victoria Lagerstrom is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter with talent to spare...Being a slender, waif-like blonde who majors in a style of music that is both introspective and vulnerable, Lagerstrom will instantly garner comparisons to tragedy laced Folk artist Eva Cassidy. But that’s where the comparisons end. In all actuality, Lagerstrom is blessed with vocals that are like a collage of Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and Gladys Knight all molded into one...A beautiful record that deserves an audience.”

”Lagerström’s voice has true Soul in it and I don’t mean the swinging kind but the kind of Soul that gets under your skin and makes you itch...In the beautiful slow ballad, Loose Ends, the guitar, saxophone, drums and organ provide accents in the right places to make the track sound sultry...If I Say Yes is sung with the same, almost careless, but skilful timing for which singers such as Erykah Badu are renowned. Lagerstrom’s Swedish background can’t be deduced from these songs in which she sounds like a genuine soul diva”

"Victoria Lagerström's Scandinavian heritage never shows through on Heaven Sent, her sumptuous collision of jazz, soul and pop. Horns and strings add musical layers to the standard guitar, bass, drums and various keyboards to produce songs that often defy genre classification. We hear Latin elements on the title track, retro soul on Bringing It Back and even some blues on Loose Ends while all of it has an overriding jazz influence...At the center of each song is Lagerström's remarkable voice. She has the soul of Gladys Knight, tonal qualities of Billie Holiday and soaring qualities of Barbara Streisand. Yet it's Annie Lennox that her voice most closely resembles. Her voice is so inviting that you want to wrap yourself in it like a warm blanket."

"At once soulful and folky, Lagerström manages to sound angel like and down to earth at the same time, making the timeless Heaven Sent a more than enjoyable record."

“Heaven Sent”, the new album from Victoria Lagerström, is fascinatingly beautiful and filled with different emotions. It strikes me how big the sound is, even though the arrangements are basic...It also strikes me how carefully each song has been produced, where each track has it’s own characteristics and feeling. The arrangement is created after the principle “less is more” and guided by what the song has to offer, and not according to a common band setup. And on top of this, Victoria’s soft soul-jazz voice, like a young to midaged Joni Mitchell."

"How I wish for a moment I had a magic way to share with the entire world the incredible music of Victoria Lagerstrom. When Victoria sings...I begin to dream of new love, of starting over and of hope. Do not miss the chance to see and hear her in concert. It's simply magic."

SWEDISH SINGER ON THE RISE
By Kyle England

Victoria Lagerstrom
Heaven Sent
When you think of female groups or vocalists from Sweden that have made an impact here in the United States, the first knee-jerk reaction is to instantly blurt out ABBA. Unfair as it may seem, revered or loathed, ABBA always seems to be the subliminal barometer for which Americans unjustly compare any new female act that happens to come from our Nordic neighbors across the pond. Ace of Base? The Synth-Pop ABBA. The Cardigans? Why, the Alternative Pop-Rock ABBA, of course!
Thankfully, in last decade, we’ve had a virtual treasure trove of overtly talented female artists and/or bands of Swedish descent that have mercifully been spared that previously mentioned pigeonhole. Examples, you ask? Try on for size Lena Karlsson from the criminally underrated Electro-Pop group Komeda or Victoria Bergstrom from indie darlings The Concretes and Taken By Trees. Or if you like your Swedish vixens a bit more Punk you could do much worse than Sahara Hotnight’s own Maria Andersson. However, all of these gifted ladies need shove over to make room for one more, because Swedish chanteuse Victoria Lagerstrom is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter with talent to spare. Locals of Southern Utah consider yourselves spoiled, because we’re lucky enough to have this Swedish songbird now residing in none other than nearby Hurricane.
I was curious: of all places in the world, why Hurricane? The answer was simple: love, of course. Lagerstrom is married to revered local musician Dave Tate and together they crafted 2007s duo record, The Same Heart. They even embarked on a successful tour of the Netherlands as well last year.
Now 2008 finds Lagerstrom releasing her debut solo album, and the rewards this album brings to her audience are many. Being a slender, waif-like blonde who majors in a style of music that is both introspective and vulnerable, Lagerstrom will instantly garner comparisons to tragedy laced Folk artist Eva Cassidy. But that’s where the comparisons end. In all actuality, Lagerstrom is blessed with vocals that are like a collage of Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Margo Timmins of Cowboy Junkies and Gladys Knight all molded into one.
Musically, Heaven Sent is peppered with a smorgasbord of top-tiered Swedish musicianship – too many to mention here. Tango-style string arrangements and muted horns perfectly compliment the overall beauty that is the opening and my personal favourite, self-titled track. “Eva”, a bare-boned and touchingly heartfelt tribute to Lagerstrom’s mother, is tastefully sprinkled with hushed piano work, while my second favourite of the bunch, “Who Is This Man” echoes delicate reverb electric-guitar work that is very Cowboy Junkies.
An absolute delight, Victoria Lagerstrom will be touring Southern Utah and beyond over the next year. She is truly a powerhouse not to be missed if you’re lucky enough to be near a city in which she’s performing. Visit her Web site www.victorialagerstrom.com, for complete tour details. While you’re there, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Heaven Sent, a beautiful record that deserves an audience.