Noe å tenke på

This short record review, “Noe å tenke på” (“Something to think about”), in Hamar Dagblad (15 February 2003) calls Leven a Scottish poet, musician and songwriter who has given us a series of good albums in recent years and evidently has more in store. He has “something on his mind”, puts our debatable modern world in perspective and chooses music that supports the words.

As usual he offers several highlights, but also some songs that are not especially interesting musically. Perhaps there is a tendency to over-arrange here and there; he is just as good when he under-arranges and keeps it simple and bare. The sleeve is “worth a close study”: it carries verses by several well-known poets, for instance words by the American Robert Bly on paradise (men and women spend only a moment in Paradise; the lovers watch Charlie Chaplin eat his shoe and a moment later find themselves barefooted in the grave). The critic’s comment is a terse “Akk ja…” (“Ah, well…”). The review is signed Geir Hovensjø.