There was something immediately comforting about Amanda’s voice when I first heard it. It took me a while to understand why, but once again it was music’s ability to stir memories that provided the answer. Hearing her voice transported me back to Denmark in the early 90s. I was visiting at the time and found myself drawn to an artist playing repeatedly on the radio. Although she sang only in Danish, I bought the album as a kind of keepsake. I played it so often that I eventually found myself singing along to the entire record, despite knowing only the bare minimum of the language. That artist was Sanne Salomonsen, and the album was her self titled release, Sanne. Funnily enough, I did much the same with Vanessa Paradis, though that is a story for another time.

I had not listened to that record in over twenty five years, yet when I heard Amanda’s voice there was something strikingly familiar about it. While Sanne leans more toward pop, and remains the only album of hers I ever owned, there is a shared quality in both voices that feels remarkably similar to me. Perhaps it is the Scandinavian connection, with Amanda hailing from Sweden. She might well be puzzled by the comparison, but for me the resemblance is undeniable. Anyway enough of that, time to dig a little deeper into the music itself.

The album opens with "common, like the end", and there is something about Amanda’s voice that, earlier comparisons aside, feels wonderfully warm and enveloping. It has the air of a closing statement, almost as though it were designed to bring an album gently to rest. And yet, as an opening track, it carries a quiet sense of promise. Whether it proves to be a beginning or an ending in spirit is something we are left to discover.

"Mexico" opens aptly with a Latin tinged acoustic guitar. The track settles into an unhurried pace, and I cannot help but feel that the production carries a subtle 90s sensibility. There are faint echoes of Suzanne Vega and Jennifer Warnes, though never in a way that feels derivative or heavy handed. Instead, they register as gentle nods, which may well say as much about my own musical journey as they do about the song itself.

The next track, "grasp", introduces a measured pace and a gently propulsive rhythm, the drums rolling everything forward with calm assurance. Nothing feels forced or overstated, instead, the movement is soft and effortless. Paired with Amanda’s vocals, it creates a sense of quietly witnessing something joyful and special.

"groby" once again opens with acoustic guitar, though this time the tone feels brighter and cleaner. The chorus follows suit, carrying a lightness and lift that gives the track an upbeat edge. In contrast, the vocals introduce a more seductive, almost sultry quality, creating an appealing tension between brightness and intimacy.

The next track, “sick of time”, adopts a more sedate and gentle tone, shaded with a quiet hint of melancholy that is echoed in the lyrics. Despite its darker mood, there is a striking beauty running through it, carried by the understated musical arrangement. Even at over five minutes in length, it never outstays its welcome, instead feeling surprisingly fleeting.

When “never known like that” began, Fleetwood Mac’s "Never Going Back Again" immediately came to mind. Once again, it is an acoustic guitar driven piece, and it is the finger picking style that sparks the comparison, even if this version unfolds at a slightly slower pace and with a softer edge. That is not intended as a negative judgement, simply another instance of my mind reaching back through its own musical history to make sense of what it is hearing.

"is this how you said you’d be gone" is certainly the longest titled track on the album. It carries that same air of melancholy, yet never lingers there for too long. In fact, there is something distinctly radio friendly about it. There are moments that hint at a familiar structure, one I could likely dissect piece by piece, but that feels beside the point. Ultimately, it is simply a wonderful listen.

And just as I was settling in, “a mindless dark” begins, this time prominently featuring piano, providing a welcome contrast, or rather, a subtle variation to many of the other tracks. I was briefly caught off guard by the lyric "Rows and flows and…", half-expecting a more overt nod to Joni Mitchell, though that wasn’t quite the case. It’s moments like these that, for me, truly draw the listener in, especially those who have been around the block a time or two. And for those who have, the final verse, well, I’ll leave that one unspoken as it just might be my wild imagination.

I love the gentle opening and gradual build of "ours is a silent sun". The track moves at a relaxed pace, unfolding slowly yet with a quietly consuming presence. Amanda’s vocals are beautiful, but the music, and the production itself is equally striking, providing a rich sound-bed that results in a beautiful track.

The final track, "the moon in e minor" carries a subtle spring in its step, yet more importantly, it reveals another facet of Amanda’s vocals, which here take on a slightly harder edge. I also have to highlight the superb electric guitar work toward the end of the track. As the album draws to a close, I can’t help but again be reminded of Sanne, giving the record a satisfying sense of coming full circle.

As I wrote this review, I couldn’t help but feel that my words were falling short of capturing the album and Amanda’s vocals, in their full glory. This is a truly enlightening record, offering a special kind of refuge, a hideaway. Forty-three minutes of pure escapism, where the outside world simply fades away. A stunning album from an extraordinary artist.