Album review: Stagman “Kejsarens nya kläder”
Seasoned Swedish rocker Stagman delivers the goods on latest singer-songwriter solo album.
Bosse Stagman – aka Zinny Zan, formerly frontman of glam rock bands Easy Action, Shotgun Messiah and Zan Clan – returns with the latest solo album in a trilogy of albums sung in his native Swedish. Stagman is nowadays a grown-up singer-songwriter in a very Swedish tradition but with some obvious American influences as well. There are dark and very Nordic melancholic vibes on some of the songs while other tracks are a bit more upbeat. Many of the lyrics are a personal social commentary from Stagman, a master storyteller. Based on his lyrics, it is rather obvious that Stagman is no fan of the current government in Sweden. He seems to have become a bit more political on this new album as compared to the lyrics on the two earlier albums. Musically, things have also evolved somewhat with a more varied soundscape, including some great instrumental additions such as the odd saxophone for example. While his recent solo material is far removed from his glam metal days, it is a result of Stagman growing older and more seasoned. He’s not a kid any more. But his old fans have also grown older and I imagine that many of them, like me, will dig this. Stagman remains a remarkable showman and entertainer. In his current incarnation as an artist, he has ditched the image and is just being himself. This is a very personal and naked solo album. “Ser ni eldarna”, a song that manages to be both emotional and catchy, is a clear favourite of mine. The album’s title track is also a fabulous song. Other tracks that stand out are “En mil i mina skor”, “Inga sånger kvar i mitt jukeboxhjärta” and “Resan som vi gjort”. Fans of Stagman’s past as a glam rocker will be pleased to note that Nalle Påhlsson and Björn Höglund, who both played with Easy Action, are featured on the album. Skintrade guitarist Stefan Bergström is doing a phenomenal job with his guitar on many of the songs which makes this a bit different than your average singer-songwriter album.
Stagman’s album “Kejsarens nya kläder” is out digitally today and in physical formats on 27th March via GMR Music.
