Album Review of
Train Stories

Written by Robert Silverstein
December 5, 2020 - 12:21am EST
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Sweden’s fascination with all things Americana music related continues to produce impressive results, case in point being Train Stories, the 2020 debut album by singer-songwriter Su Andersson. Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden and at Hansa Studio in Berlin, Germany and co-produced by Ms. Andersson with Henning Sernhede and Frida Claeson Johansson—Train Stories offers ten tracks that clock in at 34 minutes. On the more rock-based tracks, Henning’s sonically searing electric guitar work sounds impressive and perfectly fits within Ms. Andersson’s adventurous songs, which relies equally on both mood and melody. Train Stories starts off with the introspective lead-off track “For Roses And Rain”, yet by the time track 2, “On The Train Part 1” kicks in, the track reveals Su’s rock and roll heart. The uptempo energy of that track is reprised again with the album closing “On The Train Part II”, making both songs a definite highlight among many here. On the more rock-based tracks, Su’s voice resonates with a jazzy feel as she sings her way through her music menagerie. For those wondering where Su got the idea for the album, Train Stories is actually a sonic trip-tik soundtrack documenting Su’s cross country train ride of America from 2019. On her website she even has a map of where she stopped as she took the train from across the USA to California and as she tells RMR, "The train trip was Chicago – California (San Francisco – Los Angeles) – Chicago – New York; first westbound, then eastbound." Other highlights include the upbeat country-rock vibe of “The Dark Blue Of Mine”, as well as the spooky yet picturesque vibe of the piano-driven “Early Morning Alleys”. A number of musicians fill up the soundstage, giving the album an inviting Americana folk-jazz meets Euro-rock sound that should appeal to a range of listeners. Featuring Su’s English vocals (with a perfect hint of a jazzy sounding Swedish accent), Train Stories is well recorded and the CD booklet features a number of photos with all of Su’s song lyrics printed in English. A rising star on Sweden's current singer-songwriter scene, Su Andersson’s Train Stories is a pick to click for discerning fans of the new pop-rock.