In 2004, Mike Tramp released an album of songs he hadn't previously released ("Songs I Left Behind"). Sixteen years and seven studio albums later, the Dane release once again a collection of tracks composed throughout this period but never selected. The principle may seem like an admission of lack of inspiration, but after all, didn't the Rolling Stones offer one of their best opus by taking the same approach ("Tattoo You" - 1981)? As the former singer of White Lion has no lesson to be learned in terms of authenticity and honesty, and can boast of having made a series of top-quality pieces, we'll therefore set off to discover this "Second Time Around" with a favourable a priori.
If the recipe is not revolutionary, is nevertheless one of the most tasty. Indeed, it would have been a pity, and deeply unfair, that the ten tracks composing the 2020 delivery remain in the boxes, as they are once again full of deep and delicate emotions. The Scandinavian artist is an apostle of the road and has been one of the best storytellers for many years. It is therefore not surprising to find a new range of odes to freedom. 'All Of My Life' opens the ball rolling for more than six minutes with an energetic and melodic US rock that combines melancholy and hope, placing Mike Tramp alongside Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi without having to blush at the comparison. Equally moving and haunting but borrowing more from REM, 'The Road' is a real hit. 'Highway' completes the whole, carried by Lars Rahbek Andresen's piano.
For this album, Mike Tramp has once again surrounded himself with loyals, although this time Søren Andersen has largely abandoned his guitar to concentrate on recording and production. He's perfectly replaced by Oliver Steffensen, formerly of Freak Of Nature, accompagned on 'Back To You' by Marcus Nand, also a former member of the same band. But to come back to the compositions, it should be noted that many take more Rock paths than usual, and we think about The Who on the powerful 'Between Good And Bad' with its powerful organ, Bon Jovi on 'No Tomorrow', or Bryan Adams on the hyper-exciting 'Back To You'. The sweet pauses are provided by a hauntingly sad 'Anymore', a 'Lay Down Your Guns' worthy of flower power that would have been a hit at Woodstock, while 'When She Cries' brings the whole thing to a gentle close in acoustic format.
For his twelfth solo album, Mike Tramp offers a work that is more rock than folk, but still tailored to accompany the journeys on the highways towards the setting sun. Like some of the artists mentioned throughout this presentation, he is a wonderful storyteller whose tales deal with the lives of those who have chosen the road as a lifestyle, but also with the feelings that everyone can go through throughout their lives. This is what makes his songs so touching because he manages to put our most intimate emotions into words and music. It is to this talent that we recognize the greatest artists.