Ida Sand - True Love

For the new album True Love (ACT 9481-2), there has been no change of direction. Rather it takes on an even more personal sound than her previous work – one reason for this is that in the interim period Sand has become the mother of a baby girl. “Some of the songs have to do with my family and my good fortune to have a loving man and a child. But of course, I also sing other pieces that are more about companionship or have social meaning.” Did her pregnancy change her voice? “Not physically, but my attitude is different, and now it’s even more fun.”

The production was also a “family affair”. Ida’s husband, guitarist Ola Gustafsson, is once again on board, just as he was on her ACT debut CD. On True Love he not only plays the guitars, including the pedal steel and dobro resonator; he also takes on the role of producer. The album’s light and relaxed atmosphere has much to do with Gustafsson, who, after all, is a well-known name in Sweden’s pop and rock scene, and he has worked in the USA with Elvis Costello. The permanent members of the band include Per Lindvall on drums, Peter Forss on bass, Mattias Torell on the second guitar, along with guest musicians Peter Asplund on trumpet and woodwind player Magnus Lindgren. “All the musicians are friends of ours, and we’ve spent so much time over the years at the Atlantis Studio in Stockholm that it feels like our second home – so it was a real family get-together.”

One can hear how creative and harmonious the whole process was during the recording of True Love. “We played all the pieces together. I don’t tell the musicians what to play; each one should put their own personality into the music. A song should develop intuitively and naturally.”
The common denominator running through all the songs on True Love are their deep-rooted emotive qualities. At the album’s core are five outstanding original compositions, each with its own unique approach and direction, subtly catchy pieces that you can’t get out of your head.