Soft
author: Joel Criner
Want respite from the pretense and irony that infect so much of today's pop/rock music? How about a break from the chaotic clutter that is so often the product of attempted coolness? I just may have found the perfect remedy.
Soft is a splendidly melodic and intimately meaningful collection of tunes from one of the more talented song writers in the Twin Cities. Although Tanner, a native of Sweden, is well-known among many music enthusiasts, terms like "hidden gem" and "well-kept secret" are invariably bandied about each time a new listener (or critic) discovers his work.
Soft offers poignant perspectives on love ("Stars Tonight/"Kindest Person I Ever Knew"/"Best Ever!"); optimism ("Welcome Into My World"/"Hello Tomorrow"); loss ("Little Guy"); and even celebrity obsession just for good measure ("To Be Your Fan".) Tanner's music comes across as honest and simple (but good luck emulating it.) I get the sense that beautiful pop melody comes easily to him. If it doesn't, I can't imagine the toil spent yielding fifteen tunes that would make Elvis Costello proud. In essence, this record just feels good. Its effect on this listener seems to be one of residual emotional delight. Not a bad pay-off for putting on a CD.
With all due respect to DIY, sometimes there really is no substitute for talent. Let the accusations of hyperbole fly as they may. But my evidence is strong: You just need to listen to the album.
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Halfway There fits my concept of a great pop song
author: this befuddled universe
I am genuinely fond of many songs on this CD, but I give Halfway There my highest rating. In a perfect world it would be at least a top forty hit.
Soft is a concept CD, and the first line of the first song introduces the concept: Welcome into my world. Tanner is at his best when he takes a brief event, or simple theme, and adds lots of cool riffs. Many of these tunes showcase his talent.
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Soft is a veritable pop-rock tour-de-force which deserves much more attention th
author: Kevin Mathews
On Soft, the fact that Tanner plays everything is the least amazing thing. That a singer-songwriter with such ability and gifts should remain so far under the radar (even for the pop underground) is short of criminal! Well, yeah, Tanner has produced the likes of Martin Zellar, Sire artists Tina & the B-Side Movement and fronted the Faraway Men, but Soft really came out of the blue for yours truly. Effectively channeling John Lennon, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Neil Finn and Robyn Hitchcock, Soft is a veritable pop-rock tour-de-force which deserves much more attention (are you paying any, my friends?) than it has received. From the raucous "Enter" to the folky "The Kindest Person I Ever Knew," Soft is an album that no self-respecting member of the pop underground can afford to ignore.
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