Swedish pop diva Robyn has finally arrived in the states. Already a superstar on the European level, Robyn is cocked and ready to shoot her goods all over the United States of whatever. As an introduction she has released an EP built mainly of covers. I suppose it’s good to get your new audience to understand where you’re coming from before you expose yourself blindly to the masses. In this case she’s showing off her goods via Saul Williams and Controversy-Era Prince!
To begin, you have to understand that Robyn has a storied history with musical success and many different attempts at breaking through to the American market. She has gone through some troubling times with major labels, so in 2005 she decided to create her own label for her own music.
This EP kicks off with her most aggressive single “Konichiwa Bitches,” which I suspect was named after her label Konichiwa Records. The song has a great crossbreeding of pop and electro done with Wu-Tang attitude. It’s funny to see this uber-white Swedish girl doing her best gangster impression with lyrics like, “I’ll saw you in half like I’m a magician. I’ll tear you down like I’m in demolition.” Her sweet vocals have some hidden spice for certain.
The remaining three tracks are all covers to see what has influenced our little blonde fireplug. She spins her own version of the Teddybears song “Cobrastyle” and something from Controversy-era Prince!
The one strange step made on this EP was her remix of her own song, “With Every Heartbeat.” The song is already a hit on her home turf, but she has stripped it down and released it as an acoustic piano jam. While the vocals/lyrics are the same, the song looses its urgency and forces the listener to pay attention to the emotion. Surprisingly, it works due to the humor and attitude on the rest of the material on this short EP.
Robyn shows you her dark and dirty side taking on Prince’s “Jack U Off.” No matter who you are, it will catch you off guard to hear this sweet-voiced Swede sing, “If you’re man ain’t no good, come on over to my neighborhood. We can jump in the sack and I’ll Jack U off.” Take that, Prince.
I hope this EP means Robyn will get the appreciation she deserves. She has a unique voice and enough confidence to conquer Europe… I’m excited to see how well she hits stateside this time around.
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