Record Reviews

AADAL ~ AGGRESSIVE HYMNS, ENERGETIC BALLADS LOSEN 325 (Barcode: 7090025833250) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2025 Released: 2026 This is an album by the quartet AadalFind albums by this artist, led by guitarist / composer Michael AadalFind albums by this artist, with saxophonist Andre KassenFind albums by this artist, bassist Audun RamoFind albums by this artist and drummer Gunnar SaeterFind albums by this artist. The album presents eight tracks, all original compositions by the leader. The album’s duration is about thirty-five minutes, which I find way too short for a full album. Michael Aadal is a very prolific musician, who releases albums under his name, as well as under the Aadal moniker and as a member of the group SordalFind albums by this artist, led by Stein Roger SordalFind albums by this artist. As a result, he can be heard on a dozen or more albums recorded since 2009. His music is repeatedly described as an amalgam of Nordic Jazz and American Rock, or rather Americana, which honestly I find rather inaccurate, but who cares about labels. The music is often pretty rough, rowdy and loud, which does not work for me that well, but he definitely has his own style and attitude. It is a kind of melodic Jazz-Rock Fusion, with the Jazzy element mostly emphasized by the saxophone, rather than the guitar. Despite the fact that the album’s duration is short, after a while the music starts to sound rather tedious and I lost interest. But of course this is just my personal opinion and many listeners might probably enjoy this music wholeheartedly. Overall, this is another album by Aadal, which sort of sounds very similar to his earlier releases, playing melodic Jazz-Rock Fusion, which is forgettable in the long range, but has its moments, and is very well played, especially by Kassen.

Updated: 22/05/2026Posted: 22/05/2026

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MICHAEL AADAL ~ POMONA LOSEN 158 (Barcode: 7090025831584) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2016 This is the third album by Norwegian guitarist / composer Michael AadalFind albums by this artist and his second release on the splendid Norwegian LosenFind albums on this label Records label. The album was recorded by a group consisting of six players, which also includes guitarist Anders Hofstad SorasFind albums by this artist (pedal steel guitar), saxophonist Andre KassenFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Ole-Bjorn TalstadFind albums by this artist, bassist Audun RamoFind albums by this artist and drummer Gunnar SaeterFind albums by this artist. The album presents nine original compositions, all by Aadal. The music is a unique amalgam of typical Scandinavian melancholy and Americana roots, i.e. Blues and Country influences, which of course means that the result is only marginally Jazz oriented. Nevertheless these are plenty of excellent solos by the group members, which keep the listener interested. Overall this music avoids specific genre definitions, which is part of its charm and accessibility, as it might be equally interesting to Jazz-Rock, Rock, Country and Pop listeners. The only problem with this album is its lack of compositional versatility, which causes all the tunes to sound a bit similar, especially as they are all low key, lyrical ballads. Of course this is a minor point, as the melodic content is really very likeable. Aadal´s guitar playing is the main focus of this album of course, although he allocates plenty of space for all the other members of the group to come forward into the limelight. The guitar sound is very round and soothing, which suits the atmosphere of the album perfectly. The steel guitar, saxophone and keyboards create layers of melodic support behind the leader and solo occasionally, not challenging the listener´s patience excessively. The rhythm section pushes the music gently ahead, with occasional outbursts of energy. Overall this is a pleasant instrumental album, which listeners from various musical backgrounds may enjoy equally, full of great melodies and a relaxed atmosphere, which is sometimes exactly what one needs in our hectic world.

Updated: 20/09/2016Posted: 20/09/2016

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MICHAEL AADAL ~ STORIES CLONMELL JAZZ SOCIAL 006 ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2023 Released: 2024 This is a solo guitar album by Norwegian Jazz guitarist / composer Michael AadalFind albums by this artist. The album presents sixteen short tracks, which last together just under half an hour, all original composition by Aadal. The music is very introvert and delicate, recorded simply by “guitar straight into an amp”, without any studio trickery, using electric and acoustic guitars. The music floats between composed and improvised approaches, and is charming in its simplicity and straightforwardness, on one hand, and the melodic and ambience oriented tranquility on the other hand, offering a brief moment of relaxed, but touching aesthetics. Aadal recorded six albums with his ensembles, but this is his first solo outing, mostly influenced by the Pandemic, which imposed reflection and solitude, which are the underlying motives behind making this album. Overall, this is a very personal album, which offers intimacy and immediate contact between the composer / instrumentalist and his audience, putting aside any barriers, fads and fashions. It is not about flashy guitar licks and pretentious pseudo-virtuosity, but simply a very personal heart-to-heart offering, for the listener to enjoy. I, for one, loved every moment of it.

Updated: 30/09/2024Posted: 30/09/2024

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