Marte Wulff: Safety Pins

Marte Wulff’s music isn’t as soft or serene as one might anticipate coming from Norway. The singer has the gentle pipes to nail the high notes, but her tender delivery complements the bouncy pop melodies perfectly on the Peter, Bjorn and John-like “Our Place”. From there, Wulff slows things down down with the strolling title track and the softer, melancholic, piano-fuelled nugget “Always Making Plans”. It isn’t until the fourth song where the comparisons suddenly jump out at you. “Good” is great as she seems to channel some happy-go-lucky lovechild with Sheena Easton and Olivia Newton-John the proud parents. Musically Wulff is quite adventurous, as in “Full Stop” with its reggae overtones, another great performance. The record’s flow is its greatest asset, whether it’s the lightweight but infectious “Cars and Trains and Planes and Ferries” with its terribly sweet chorus. What doesn’t work as well is the plodding and aimless “Way of Waking”. For the most part, Wulff paints very quaint but memorable gems such as the duet “Accident”, recalling Alison Krauss.

Marte Wulff – Safety Pins