:: Thomas Denver Jonsson - Americana from the North

"Thomas Denver Jonsson is a young Swedish songwriter and singer, come to grips with a fair and interesting début album. Hope To Her, recorded together with the September Sunrise, lets an adequate artistical fulfilment come out and us appreciate an artist committed with a modest and derivative alt.country. Even influenced by lo-fi traces, Hope To Her turns round on a clean sound got by acoustic guitars, pedal steel, piano and harmonica. Thomas’ voice is either emotional and frail, suited to perform a depressed style, the lot accompained by a not a bit intrusive electric guitar. Since the first notes in First In Line, opening track beginning by a Springsteenian harmonica as well as in his Tom Joad, distances between Nebraska and Sweden seem to decrease: songs like 24 Seven (sung with Jessica Magnusson), Long Life To Lose and Mallards are skilful renderings of American country provincial minds. Pedal steel (by Fredrik Wilde) and piano (by Carl Edlorn) make the sound warmer and give a coloured dash to a just sketched picture. Thomas Denver Jonsson is a stirring songwriter and singer, so that his style gets him close to his friend Damien Jurado and to the intimist Matthew Ryan of Concussion. Finally, Hope To Her is a refined album." (Carlo Lancini)
(Carlo Lancini)

L'intervista


The starting harmonica in First In Line reminds me the Springsteen of The Ghost Of Tom Joad. Is there a musical link between your style and Springsteen's acoustic one?

I really love Springsteen, but mostly his electric songs (even if I do understand that you can compare my music to that kind of acoustic music.) The acoustic Springsteen is very good but it can't be compared to those excellent moments of Born To run, The River and Darkness on the edge of town. That's the real goldmine.

"Hope To Her has had wonderful reviews, even by Uncut.

I have lived with this album for so long and I'm convinced that this is a hell of good album. I mean, Hope to her is the exactly the kind of album I wanted to do as my first record and I love it.

Could you expect this?

Of course, since I am a debutant releasing on a new record label, I have been worried about if anyone would give a damn about what I'm doing. But now the album has got so much good attention and to know that so many have listened to the album and so many have liked it is a fantastic feeling. I can't really say in words how much that means to me.

Could you explain us the meaning of the title Hope To Her?

I think whatever you think is the meaning of the title when you listen to the album is the correct one. Of course, I have my own personal meaning why the album is called the way it is but that's not really important for you as a listener. That's only important to me.

Who are the artists that inspired you the most?

For Hope to her I think some of the leading influences were Gram Parsons, The Beach Boys, The band and Emmylou Harris, great voices, great melodys. I'm also just a sucker for those classic country acts. I must also mention Will Oldham, Townes Van Zandt and Rosie Thomas.