Review Summary: A proper, yet somewhat awkward maturation for a Norwegian darling.
For many, the only memory that comes to mind of Maria Mena is of her attempt to break into the American mainstream with her 2004 international debut,
White Turns Blue and its mildly successful single, "You're The Only One". Maria failed to attract enough attention to stay relevant in the United States, but continued to maintain popularity in her native country of Norway and throughout parts of mainland Europe.
White Turns Blue was followed by the releases of
Apparently Unaffected and
Cause and Effect. Both albums comprised of two completely different musical styles, the former showcasing sonic bursts of pop-fueled emotion and the latter taking on a much more stripped-down and manic approach.
Mena's fifth studio album,
Viktoria retains much of her previous album's stripped-down style, but is both musically and lyrically more stable. Maria paints a pretty emotional picture with her innocent and sweet voice, but tends to be a bit awkward in her handling of the English language (see "Homeless" and "Am I Supposed To Apologize?", for example). At times, she also seems to cement her vocals to the musical instruments, making the lyrics sound more like percussion (see "My Heart Still Beats" and "Secrets").
There are quite a few standouts on this album. The first of which is the title track, in which Mena describes growing up slowly into the more mature name given to her by her mother when she was ten years old. The song fades in and out of a warm string-backed, two-word chorus with moments of minimalistic piano-based reflection. "The Art of Forgiveness" slowly builds into a bombastic chorus, expelling emotions about arriving at the decision to forgive and stay with a man who has cheated on her. "This Too Shall Pass" is probably the most upbeat and motivational song on the album, as well as the least stripped-down.
Song worth (based on an average MP3 price of $1.00):
Fair ($0.50): Homeless, Habits, My Heart Still Breaks
Good ($1.00): Takes One To Know One, Secrets, Am I Supposed To Apologize?
Great ($1.50): Viktoria, This Too Shall Pass
Excellent ($2.00): The Art of Forgiveness, Money, It Took Me By Surprise
My album value: $13.50
Combined value of individual songs (iTunes): $10.89
iTunes album price: $9.99
