Released: March 13, 2020
Thomas Dybdahl has more than earned the consistent praise he’s received over the course of his twenty-year-plus career. With Fever, the Norwegian singer-songwriter’s latest release (and ninth full-length overall), Dybdahl channels his indie/retro R&B influences into what might be his most focused, sensual musical statement to date.
The upbeat, funk-laced album-opener “45” nearly leaps from the speakers, as Dybdahl cleverly waxes poetic over an instantly-infectious riff. From that point forward, the record is a balanced mix of groove-driven numbers (“Then There Was You” and “Dance the Pain Away”), simmering, laid-back tracks (like “Fever,” “On My Way To California,” and the brilliant “Call Me by Your Name”). While Fever is solid from front to back, Dybdahl closes it out with two of the album’s best tracks, the stage-ready “Patience” and the appropriately entitled ballad “The Last Song.”
From a production standpoint, Fever ‘sounds’ amazing. Opting to focus on a ‘full-band’ mix this time around, Dybdahl (who provides most of the instrumentation) fleshes out the drum & bass-driven arrangements with his consistently impassioned vocals and some judiciously placed guitar licks, instantly setting Fever apart from some of the singer’s more recent work (such as the brooding All These Things or the experimental The Great Plains).
In fact, with nine tracks (including an “Intermission”) clocking in at a paltry twenty-nine minutes, one could easily argue that the only thing ‘wrong’ with this release is that it’s too damn short. With all of that being said, in an era where ‘quantity over quality’ seems to be the name of the game, Thomas Dybdahl’s Fever is not only an instant-classic, it’s downright refreshing.
*Quick Note: The 15-track Extended Version of Fever was released in March of 2021 via streaming platforms is highly recommended
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