If Nightwish fans thought that Imaginaerum would be the last they ever saw of Anette Olzon, they needn’t have worried. With her debut solo album, Shine, the Swedish singer closes one door and tentatively opens another, having resolutely made that bravest and most dangerous of decisions: to be herself.
The result is an intensely personal record that could be easy to read as a diary of her turbulent life on the road, but really, it’s Anette’s chance to find her own voice as a songwriter.
This is not a symphonic metal album; it’s more like the hard rock she made with her first band, Alyson Avenue. The more experimental tracks Like A Show and Shine are definitely growers, but ultimately they’re the most interesting. Lies is a classic power ballad, while the heavier Falling showcases the impressive vocal range she’s famous for.
But it’s her ability to deliver a restrained yet emotive performance on the delicate, folky Moving Away that’s the most effective, making it one of the album’s best songs and showcasing a talent for songwriting that can surely only get better.
