5 stars: A lovingly performed homage to Larsen’s melodious charm

"Danish singer/songwriter Kim Larsen was a pop/rock phenomenon whose many albums and concerts held tremendous appeal for his fellow Danes, including classical guitarist Jesper Sivebaek, who for the last ten years or so has been arranging a number of Larsen’s hits for classical guitar, assisted by colleagues Daniel Murray and Asger Agerskov Buur, whom he credits with three of the disc’s twelve tracks. The results embed Larsen’s, “pure” (Sivebaek) and direct melodies in imaginative settings reflecting Sivebaek’s classical heritage, along with folk sources Larsen admired: Villa-Lobos (Kvinde Min), bluegrass and banjos (Hvis Din Far GI’R Dig Lov), a one-man-band tour de force (Joanna), ingratiating samba (Himlen) and milonga rhythms (Flyvere I Natten), and what I hear as a series of ukulele-like chords and textures (Susan Himmelbla) keep company with classical techniques and forms like tremolos, harmonics and fantasias. The songs project a variety of moods ranging from happy-go-lucky (Himlen) to the tender sweetness of a lullaby (Kom Igen, although not designated as such) or the wistful “touch of a raindrop” that closes the recital. Sivebaek fluidly finds just the right tempo for each song, while paying careful attention to every facet of the arrangements, from supporting “secondary” material to the affecting, beautifully shaped melodies. His tone is everywhere beguiling, captured with a sense of real presence by the excellent recording. While it will inspire happy memories in those who relish the lyrics, in the end this is a lovingly performed homage to the melodious charm of Larsen’s songs, one that speaks movingly without words". Robert Schulslaper, June 30th 2021