Anna Ternheim: "Bow Your Head" and "Lovers Dream"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

A little over four years ago, I put up a post featuring two Swedish singer-songwriters, Anna Ternheim and Lisa Miskovsky. Let's do a quick update.

For Miskovsky, I posted the video for "Sweet Misery," from her third album, Changes (2006). Still very popular in Sweden and parts of Europe, she's released both a remix album and greatest hits album since then, along with her fourth studio album, Violent Sky. While she was always very pop-oriented, I can't say that I like Violent Sky all that much, basically because it's mostly ABBA-esque dance songs, a lot of it quite awful. Too bad.

For Ternheim, I posted the video for the duet version (with Fyfe Dangerfield -- yes, that's his name) of "Lovers Dream," originally from her second album, Separation Road (2006). Since shen she's only gotten better, releasing three albums -- Halfway to Fivepoints (2008 -- her U.S. debut), Leaving on a Mayday (also 2008), and The Night Visitor (2011) -- and deepening her songwriting, adding a layer of American roots to her gothic folk-pop. Indeed, she recoreded The Night Visitor in Nashville, with Matt Sweeney as producer after having appeared on guitar on a few tracks from Mayday, and it shows her at a level of maturity and depth beyond her previous work. Simply, it's a wonderful album, with some shades of Patty Griffin on it (one of my favourite singer-songwriters ever), and I say that as someone who isn't usually terribly fond of Nashville-based Americana.

My favourite song on The Night Vistor, and probably my favourite of her songs period, is "Bow Your Head." Here's a live performance, along with a live performance (and somewhat different version) of "Lovers Dream," with Dangerfield. Enjoy.