Album Of The Week

"Inga i Sverige är bättre på southern soul än Ludvika-sonen Jesper Lindell och hans Brunnsvik Sounds. Jag misstänker att alla som har hört dem ihop med Magnus Carlson på albumet 'Brunnsvik Sounds', eller i Van Morrison- och The Band-brygden på egna 'Before The Sun', lär hålla med om det."

- Håkan Steen / Aftonbladet -

"'Royal' är ett stycke musik som utmanar Jesper Lindells förra skiva, som ju var så oemotståndligt bra. Och precis som '3614 Jackson Highway' hade det här varit fantastiskt roligt att höra livs levande på en scen."

- Torbjörn Berlin / Berlin Calling -

"Detta 2:a inspelade album på plats i just klassisk studio får min värld att bli lyckligare och vackrare. Bättre klassisk soul från en svensk artist som spelar old school soul kommer du knappast få höra i år."

- Micheles Kindh / Blaskan -

"Med en röst som en ung Van Morrison plockar han favoriter från soul historien och tolkar dom, backad av av ett superbt band, med fyra blåsare och lika många bakgrundsångare."

- Jan Gradvall / Dagens Industri -

"Jag trodde i min enfald, som ganska stor lekman i soul-branschen, att Memphis som stad inte är lika musikaliskt tung som Muscle Shoals, och kanske lite mer kommersiellt inriktad. Men mina ganska lättjefulla förväntningar kom på skam direkt i öppningslåten, när Jesper effektivt utklassar Elvis Presleys original av 'Wearin' That Loved-On Look' med en ännu svartare och souligare röst. Och med den kompassen i hand håller han kursen stadigt genom hela albumet. Förbi både obskyra låtar, två allmänt kända pop-klassiker och några helt fantastiska soul-låtar."

- Håkan Petterson / Håkans Pop -

"Soul möter country möter roots. För den mustiga produktionen under den superkorta, men väl förberedda, studio-sejouren står Björn Pettersson, Rasmus Fors och Jesper Lindell, men de har benäget bistånd av inspelningsteknikern, tillika studio-ägaren, Boo Mitchell, som faktiskt är son till den i musikaliska historieböcker för evigt inskrivne grundaren av Royal Studios, Willie Mitchell."

- Timo Kangas / Lira Musikmagasin -

"Det är mycket svårt och ibland helt onödigt att försöka blåsa nytt liv i några av soul-musikens mästerverk. Nu är det så att Jesper Lindell kommer undan med hedern i behåll, för det är gjort med både respekt och kärlek till grundmaterialet. Mycket av det beror på bandet och de arrangemang som inramar detta blue-eyed-soul-album. När Jesper och bandet väljer lite mer obskyra och okända soul-låtar blir det så mycket bättre. Då behöver i alla fall inte jag sitta och jämföra med original-artister och sångare."

- Bengt Berglind / Nya Skivor -

"Jesper Lindell has crafted an album that, while retro in spirit, never feels nostalgic nor derivative. Despite its conciseness, coming in at just under 30 minutes, there’s no denying that it gets the job done in terms of showcasing the band’s dynamic chemistry and reverence for Memphis soul. Not merely cover versions, it’s a musical love letter to the music that inspired him, played without flashiness or hype, just heart and soul, and it will be interesting to hear how this experience influences Lindell’s own music moving forward."

- Bryan Bance / Americana UK -

"Jesper Lindell didn’t just get ahold of the spirit of soul music in Memphis and Alabama, he absorbed it like a sponge takes on water."

- John Apice / Americana Highways -

"Conclusion. All in all, the 2 albums, "Royal" and "3614 Jackson Highway", are musically great releases and a perfectly thought out overall concept."

- Werner Nauert / Hooked On Music -

"It was a good idea in 2024, when Lindell and the band spent 2 days each in Muscle Shoals and Royal Studios, and actually recorded this and the previous album in just 4 days. The songs on 'Royal' can pull me along a little more with their charisma, because they touch me emotionally a little more. However, this production also has a 'disadvantage', with not even 30 minutes it is a bit short. But the music makes up for it, so it's best to start again!"

- Wolfgang Giese / Musik An Sich -

"We are on the road for just under half an hour and that is a pity. Especially because Jesper Lindell has delivered a fantastic soul album with 'Royal'. Covers, but not one milked out, no, all in a fresh new jacket and if possible given an even fuller soul charge where possible! Absolutely great. 9 top songs. In my words. A 9 out of 9! I can't finish this review any clearer!"

- Gerard Haarhuis / Bluestown Music -

"That he limited himself to recording covers of all kinds of country soul classics that were recorded there is not so strange, and it is indicative of Lindell's own class that he never falls through the cracks, even when he ventures into songs that have already been sung in their original version by some of the greatest vocalists ever. Which does not alter the fact that he impresses most with the lesser known songs that he completely takes to himself with his extensive band, with beautiful horns."

- Pieter Wijnstekers / Heaven Magazine -

"'Royal' is part 2 of the musical diptych that Swedish singer songwriter Jesper Lindell is releasing this year. In March there was '3614 Jackson Highway', a direct reference to the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio where he traveled with his band to record an album. 9 classic soul tracks that he played and recorded with his own band on that hallowed ground."

- Corné van Groenedaal / De Muziekplank -

"'Royal' is an adult, felt and musically rich album that confirms what connoisseurs have known for a long time. Jesper Lindell is one of the most interesting European artists in the world of americana and soul. He writes with heart and craftsmanship, he sings with soul and nuance, and he makes music that does not scream, but whispers, and as a result, it sticks. 'Royal' is an album that you don't just hear, but that you feel slowly sinking into your system. A record that takes you to a place where time is not in a hurry. A royal title, and completely rightly so."

- Fred Pach / Muziekwereld -

"In 2026, the influences that Jesper Lindell picked up from family and friends can be heard on 'Royal'."

- Jaks Schuit / Real Roots Café -

"Just a few months after the release of his album ‘3614 Jackson Highway’, tributing the soul music that was created in the legendary studio of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Swedish singer songwriter Jesper Lindell is now releasing another tribute album to his music favorites. This time he is honoring the songs that have been recorded 50 to 60 years ago for the Hi and Stax labels in Memphis, Tennessee. These 9 songs were inspired by soul classics and were recorded by Jesper Lindell & The Brunnsvik Sounds in the equally legendary Royal Studios in Memphis.”

- Valére Sampermans / Rootstime -

"All 9 songs here sound fantastic, so 'Royal' is Jesper Lindell's 2nd great album in a row."

- Freddy Vandervelpen / Rootsville -

"The original versions undoubtedly remain unapproachable, and Jesper Lindell realizes that better than anyone, and says 'consider it a humble tribute to our musical heroes'."

- Cis van Looy / Written In Music -

"Jesper Lindell doesn't invent anything new with his 2 albums. It simply demonstrates love and respect for black music, without overdoing it in nostalgia. Maybe through his interpretations he could intrigue a younger audience to rediscover the classics of soul and rhythm and blues. And this is no small thing."

- Paolo Baiotti / Late For The Sky -

"All tracks here played very well, and with great respect, perhaps even more than the 1st volume. In any case, we recommend that you place both of them next to your soul discography as a useful summary for the modern era."

- Nicola Gervasini / Roots Highway -

"The sound is rich, the sincerity in the interpretation of the songs and the band’s overall musicality is at an exceptional level, and Lindell managed, in his own way, to connect the psychology of the songs from the time they were created, with the present day. And such an execution can in no way be considered easy or simple. On the contrary, Jesper, along with his collaborators, delved very deeply into the whole problematic, and in the end came out, let me simplify and say it, as a winner!"

- Branimir Lokner / Time Machine Music -