Svala - Real Me (CD)

All Music Guide

New pop chanteuse Svala hails from Iceland but admits she has a completely different sound than Bjork. Her debut "The Real Me" has vocal production similar to Cher's "Believe" and sounds like a genetically designed hybrid of Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Christina Aguilera, and Jessica Simpson. At some point the production styles used here will seem commonplace and manipulative. That time is not far away, but Svala will probably be a hit at Radio Disney and pop Top 40 before that happens. Svala is undeniably beautiful and normally that would be a superficial observation to make for a record. But her attractiveness will be a major marketing element to The Real Me and is critical for success in the plastic pop realm of which "The Real Me" is a great example. Svala's voice is thin but expertly aided in the studio. The strength of the collection is that quite a few songs replicate successful formulas employed by Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, Pink, and the aforementioned stars. "Falling" has ...all the qualities of a slow prom dance favorite. It is hard to imagine a teenage girl not finding this song moving. If a DJ identified this song as a new one from Britney no one would be surprised. But since this is a new singer from Iceland, what does that say about modern pop ballads? "The Real Me" is testament to the skill of Svala's producers, the Swedish team of Anders Bagge and Arnthor Birgisson, who have worked with 98 Degrees, Ricky Martin, and 702. Other hitmakers contributed to this disc, including Jive (Mandy Moore's "Candy") and Jorgen Elofsson (writer of the Britney Spears hits "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Sometimes"). The album's standout track (not including the laboratory-crafted soon-to-be hits) is the song "Wonder of My World" which sounds like an Olivia Newton John ballad backed by the London Session Orchestra's string section and the London Community Gospel Choir. Svala also wrote two songs, including "Love Me, Love Me Not" which is an example of the further sexualization of teen music: "Love me baby or love me not/Tell me baby, can you hit my spot?" - JT Griffith, All Music Guide Read more Less