Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Long before the Norwegian and Scandinavian invasion became a sublime permanent fixture on the ears of British music lovers, long before the doors of Paul McCartney’s L.I.P.A. became the hotbed of Norse influence and the beauty of a language enthused with British rhythms, a-ha were the go to band of the mid 1980s and early 1990s in which to get a sense of the sensitivity and craftsmanship that seemed so remote and yet only a short distance away.
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 14th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ***
Morten Harket’s music always seems to grab you more when he is being personal and open with his lyrics than most of his musical compatriots from the 1980’s teen idol, music video-raised era.
The former Norwegian heartthrob to a million girls via the band A-Ha has come a long way since the days of Hunting High and Low and the single that kicked off the band’s good fortune, the popular and extremely catchy Take on Me. Even with A-Ha ‘s last release in 2009, Morten Harket sounds more relaxed and true to his original ethos on his new album, Out of my Hands, than he has done throughout the whole of his career.