Change your ‘tone…

As you’d expect, we’re firmly in Happy Days territory in The Playtones’ new album, Rock’n Roll Is King. The clue’s in the title, really… Route 66, American diners where a Coke costs a dime, and jeans turn-ups so high that they’re almost at knee-level.

But stop the Cadillac! Is that schlager I can hear, 50 years too early? Well, not quite. But there’s something about opening track Madeleine that sounds a bit more The King and less like the Jerry Lee Lewis medley at the heart of this album…

And a quick check of the credits reveals that it was written by Thomas G:son! So that’s him and Fredrik Kempe on board. That’s usually enough to entice the most ardent of schlagerfans. Other names include Lionheart writer Karl-Ola Kjellholm (Amy Diamond, The Pusher) and young Jimmy Jansson (Melodifestivalen’s Amanda).

Highlights include the aforementioned Madeleine, as well as The King – that much is obvious. But there’s a sweet melancholy to Another Sad Goodbye, and My Heart Comes Back To You sounds like it needs to be covered by Dolly Parton. This obviously means it is amazing.

You’ll know what to expect if you put this on – but what may surprise you is that you’ll enjoy it…

Photo: Daniel Sahlberg