Various Swedish newspapers have published reviews today of Marie’s new album, “The Change”.


  Hallandsposten’s Jan-Owe Wikström gives the album 4 out of 5. Wikström believes that Marie doesn’t really care about the album’s position in the charts or about sold units, “she has already won the biggest victory by releasing the album,” Wikström writes, “there must have been many moments of despair and doubt in these past two years.” The album, which has worked as a therapy for Marie, is a step back to her roots, to blues, r&b and gospel. “That’s why ’The Change’ is different to her other albums, this is more what she used to do every summer with her husband’s band Sugarcane in the basement of Penny Lane in Halmstad.”


  Aftonbladet’s Per Bjurman joins Wikström by giving 4 out of 5 to the album. After stating that he doesn’t make this review “out of pity or to escape being mean,” he goes on writing Marie’s come back is a triumph and that the album is very strong, “too strong sometimes.” Bjurman points out that the album isn’t as dark as one might think, “often one can feel the anger, the lust for life, the gratitude for love and for the fact that the day actually starts.” He also compares the naked feelings in “Mother” with John Lennon’s song by the same title and ends his review by telling that the album is totally private, “till such an extent that one has to hold the breath in order to listen to the album some times.”


  On the other hand, Göteborgsposten gives the album 3 out of 5. Lindqvist compares the album with a diary made with music and thinks Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” or Ulf Lundell’s “Den vassa eggen” have one thing in common with “The Change”: the fact that one’s creativity and inspiration becomes strong when one goes through a crisis, as Marie has in the past two years fighting against brain cancer. According to Lindqvist it’s hard to criticize music this personal and even private. “What I can say after all is that Marie Fredriksson’s singing has never been this frank. She’s always had the ambition to put her soul into her songs, and on occation she has succeeded.” But on these songs she just sings, “from the inside and out.” “The Lenny Kravitz rock that takes a lot of space is not really fresh. On the other hand the single ’2:nd Chance’ is nice, and ’All about you’ is a tender love song full of soul,” Lindqvist feels.
He concludes writing the album is a “very brave album. A letter signed from the couple Fredriksson/Bolyos who has one message: love conquers all.”


  Many other Swedish newspapers report about the fact that “The Change” will be released internationally, “it will be released, more or less, in countries where Roxette has released some albums. South America, South Africa, Europe, Japan, Indonesia and so on,” tells Li Lindebäck from EMI to TT Spektra. Lindebäck also reveals that the album has already shipped in 30,000 copies, which means gold in Sweden.

• Hallandsposten
• Aftonbladet
• Göteborgsposten
• Article in Norrköpings Tidning