Swedish artist Klas Jonsson became one of my favorite artists with his new release “Versions”. It’s a 4 track EP that pulled me in slowly and I had a great time replaying it over and over again. It starts with “Summer Waltz” a nice instrumental that sets the tone for everything that comes after it. I liked how gentle it sounded. It gave me two minutes to settle into the record before the vocals arrived in the next songs.
“Sad & Ugly” was probably the track that stayed with me the longest. The opening has this soft touch and Klas’ voice works really well with the simple arrangement. The melodies are catchy and I kept noticing little details in the background. I really loved the whistling and those small vocal sounds that gave the song extra character. It’s just simple and easy to listen to.
“Sleepless” brought a different energy. The banjo gave the song a nice traditional sound that matched the vocals perfectly and the melodies were easy to get hooked on after one listen. There’s something warm about the way Klas builds his songs. Even when the arrangements are simple, they still carry a lot of character.
The closing track, “Ar var alda” surprised me so much. I mean, I haven’t heard an a cappella song for months and this one is really really something special and I loved it. Yes, for the ending, this song was a bold choice but it worked. The voices. The melodies and atmosphere pulled everything together in a memorable way.
I really loved this EP. Klas Jonsson has a creative style that mixes traditional ideas with newer touches without losing his identity. The production, mixing and recording quality are all strong and the songs are easy to come back to.
