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It hurts, oh it still hurts that we didn't know about LenaPh's new CD before. 12points.tv reviews Världen snurrar. 

Lena Ph - Världen snurrar (2012) *****

Sweden has slowly but steadily been able to get used to la Ph's comeback. After her duet album, together with Orup (2008) everything remained silent around Lena for two years. In the beginning of last year she released the single Idiot, last summer she participated in Så Mycket Bättre, a popular cover show on Swedish TV and at the end of 2011 she was the star in her intimate dream circus concerts.

The world has kept moving around Lena Ph, and that exactly is the title of her new album: Världen snurrar. Obviously Idiot is included, but also some of the marvelous cover version from Så Mycket Bättre; Laleh - Live Tommorrow and Timbuktu - Botten Is Nådd, they're both there. Unfortunately Tomas Ledin's Sensuella Isabella did not make it, a very sexy version Lena made out of that one. If I would have been to decide, I'd rather have had that song on the CD, in stead of the slightly old fashioned Ett Hjärta.

La Ph. anno 2012, is fully exposed on this album. We have to say that: Lena Ph. is delivering a nice mature dance cd which just makes it impossible not to move. The mix of 80's tunes and electro fit like a glove. Lena sounds fresh, is dance-able, rocks and is intimate and lively at the same time. Lena knows what good pop music should be and how she fits in the scene. Conclusion: this lady knows exactly what she wants and she knows what we want: Världen Snurrar. Definitely an instant hit!!

You're my lover, undercover - We would like to share this newest 12points.tv CD review: Helena Paprizou's compilation album. 

Helena Paparizou - Greatest Hits & More (2011) ****

It´s December, so it is litterally raining compilation albums, and when it comes to Eurovision artists this is an excellent oportunity to take notice of the essentials.

I cannot say it anyway else: Helena Paparizou's work is quite something! For her early work, when she was still part of Antique, you'd have to get your hands on another compilation CD, the Very Best (2004), that is quite pleasant too. Greatest Hits & More, that was released recently, comes as a very nice follow up to complete your La Paparizou collection!

Let's start with the More-CD. The first track, Baby It's Over, impresses. What a delightful song with such a lot of European hit potential, that it might even compensate for the Greek deficits. Play the song once and it will be in your head for at least three days. And if this for any reason wouldn't work for you (impossible if you ask me), then there still is Love Me Crazy, which is so eey-eey-eey great and just as easily gets stuck in your head.

The compilation part of this album presents us 40 of Helena's hits. Well, there was some cheating going on there, as not all songs really made it to the charts. Where Antique was a bit predictable now and then, Solo-Helena sounds grown-up like a pop diva should: always dramatical (she is Greek after all), sometimes luciously bombastic, sometimes rocky, sometimes in English, sometimes in Greek and sometimes just a sweet little nothing inbetween. It seems rock is very popular in Greece though, in my ears that part seems a bit empty and dated. My advise: Helena, more europop, less rock, please!

But anyway, Helena offers quite some variation on these three discs, showing she is the real pop diva from Greece with still quite some potential for the rest of Europe. As far as I'm concerned she should do a Carola or a Charlotte and just make a comeback on the Eurovision stage. She also has her roots in Sweden too after all. Just get some advice from the other two ladies...

Helena, come back!!!

Yet another 12points.tv CD review: Jedward's Victory, without any doubt the most successful Eurovision act this year. 

Jedward - Victory - Ireland***

It's quite an achievement to have two handsome boys sound like Britney! Okay, maybe I exagerate a bit, but the songs sound pretty stylisch .... or should I say, a bit overproduced? Lipstick was pretty progressive even a bit cheeky-British-like. This unfortunately doesn't go for the rest of the album, which makes it a bit bland  and superficial (like we were used to with the Backstreet Boys too) . On Victory, Jedward's new album, the twins sing about all kinds of everything appealing to the imagination, and most of these themes seem to be mostly meant for teaanagers. Bad behavior sounds a bit like Gaga, the album ends with a remix of that song. No wonder, if you know that this song is the follow up song to Lipstick. As long as the Jedward guys themselves are no superstars yet, all they can do is sing about them, who wouldn't want "the boom boom" Britney has?! The music will undoubtedly cheer up many Irish / English teenage rooms and that is exactly where the music belongs. Will Jedward conquer Europe with their repertoire? Personally I don't think so.

My opinion about the CD? No real high flyer, but it offers enough pop-electro fun, to be enjoyable anyway! And if we are to compare with Eric Saade's last album (Vol. 1), Eric clearly wins on originality. Bad behavior, Superstar, Girl Techno and Celeberty are definitely enjoyable when they pass by (when shuffling), but the CD won't be 'on repeat' at my place. But well okey, it's not easy, but I have to confess I am no teenager anymore (but don't tell anyone!)

CD's are being released continuously, on 12points.tv we have selected the most remarkable recently released CD's fow you. Please let us know what you think about the reviewed CD's, by rewarding them with 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 stars. One star if you really think the CD is bad, two if you think it is reasonably bad, 3 if you are Switzerland, 4 if you like it and 5 if you think it is just fabulous! And please do let us know when you have got news about some CD that we might have missed and should really listen to, we might include it in our review section next month.

Eric Saade - Saade, Vol. 1 (2011) - Sweden - ***

After the sound of breaking glass and his well deserved third placing at the latest edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, I was just waiting for Eric Saade's new CD to be released. Even though is last CD, Masquerade, was less than a year old. For me the title of the CD could have been a bit more creative, but let's focus on contents here. At a first listening, the CD sounds very Swedish, fresh  and electro-pop. Unlike his previous CD Eric and his team really seem to be wanting to make a statement with the sound on this album. Timeless is the first song on the album. It reminds of Robyn's Dancing on my own. Hearts In the Air (feat. J-Son) is contagious, before you know it you are making heart shapes with your figers in the air too. Me And My Radio, the third song on the CD also has a Robyn sound to it  (including pling-plings and beep-beeps). The CD kind of exagerates in showing of Eric's new found sound and starts to be slightly annoying after six songs. I wondered why song number 5 is a Popular remix, rather than the original version? I do not find the remix very strong and quite superfluous. Conclusion? This CD is an absolute must have for all Eric fans, but for anyone listening carefully, there will be some critisism. But who cares? Next year Saade VOL 2 will probably hit the shops, which will add some more hits to Saade's curriculum. And what will I do? Just stuff my iPod and let the songs on this album shuffle by now and then. The CD might even get popular!

Danijela – Unikat – Croatia – ***

In 1995 she represented Croatia with the group Magazin and Lidija (Nostalgija). But she really impressed, three years later with the marvelous Neka Mi Ne Svane. That song still left enough impression to make me curious about her new CD, 13 years later, wondering how she sounds today. And just to make it clear, I do not understand Croatian, apart from some Eurovision Croatian, so it will not be the deep texts that will impress me.  The album is what I expect a Slavic album to be: vivacious, melodious and recognisable. The album combines uptempo songs wth ballads. The first song (Zivim da zivim (I live to live)) brings me straight to some Croatian coast including mandoline players. Unfortunately the songs are not very innovatory and due to the crisis it seems some costs have been saved by adding just a few too many synthesizers. Song number 10 , Danijela Casti, is a good example of that. Then suddenly the last song strikes me with familiar sounds; Za Tebe Rodena (born for you), with this song Danijela particpated in Dora in 2005, and unfortunately only ended up 3rd. This version is a duet together with Arsenom Dedicem. This man, he sounds a bit older to me, manages to ruin the song with his trembling voice. The original version is at least a 1000 times better than this one. What a pity!

Well, Carola did it, Dana did it and Charlotte did it. Let's hope Danijela will do it too, participate in the Eurovision Song Contest that is. Come back but leave your synthesizers at home!

Stella Mwangi – Kinanda – Norway - ****

I was shocked and not only I; Norway did not reach the final this year. Maybe Haba Haba was a bit too simple, too childish or presented too enthousiastically. Well whatever you thought about Haba Haba, her new album Kinanda sounds completely different. Of course the song is included (it is the opening song), but Stella shows a completely different side on the album. You could say young girls grow older or sweet girls get naughty. The style of this CD is a mix of R&B, pop-urban and of course some African sounds. That makes the album quite sunny (we can use that, this summer). That Stella knows how to shake her ass, we have seen during the Eurovision, you don't need much fantasy to see her do some shaking while listening to the other songs. The girl also knows how to rap, in fact she seems to enjoy rapping just as much as singing (don't expect nasty gangsta lyrics), or does she not know yet what she likes the most? The naughtiest song on the album, and the best one too is Lookie Lookie. Very inviting, but what is she actually inviting me to? And.. hey did you see the name of track number 10? Hakuna Matata! Not a Lion King cover version, though, but yet another shaky shaky song!

Absolute Summer Hits – 2011 – Sweden - *****

Okey, when reading the name of this album you will probably not think of Eurovision immediately, but this compilation does contain quite some Eurovision links, apart from the actual international summer hits in Sweden that are on it too (Britney Spears, Jeniffer Lopez, Pink, Enriqie Iglesias, Lady Gaga, Shakira and Robyn):

Martin Stenmarck (Sweden 2005) offers us his best summer nights on this double CD with Tonight’s The Night. Goose bumps!! ***** That The Ark (Sweden 2007) was the worrying kind, we knew by now, but now they also broke up with God. Did they get a bit too much sun maybe? **** Peter Jöback (MF 2010) left his hollow English period behind him and joyfully sings in Swedish for us now; Räddaren i nöden ***. Danny Saucedo (MF 2011) clubs along with his contagious Tonight *****. Anyone of you haveing attended a concert in recent years, has probably been asked to make a heart in the air. Even though Eric Saade sings he is king of his own life, he also asks us to do the same (Hearts In The Air) *****. Apart from Swedish Eurovision artists Jedward and Ell & Nikki also made it to this CD. Jedward scored a minor hit in the Nordic country and fortunately this years winners have not been forgotten either.

Let the Swedish summer come along with Absolute Summer Hits – 2011

Anna Tatangelo - Progetto B.

In the same month Anna Tatangelo participated in Festival di Sanremo her new CD Progetto B was released. Bastardo, the opening song on the CD and even the first single was my personal favorite to be Italy's come back entry to the Eurovision Song Contest. Wether it would have done better than Raphael Gualazzi in the contest is to be doubted. A second position is hard to beat. Still we have this CD and we can enjoy the powerful song full of emotions and get 12 bonus tracks to go with it.