Different from anything that we have heard of her so far, former Nightwish singer Anette Olzon's first solo album, which will be released on march 31st, takes a musical direction closer to Rock than Metal. We are given the opportunity to listen to a different style that perfectly exposes Anette's vocal abilities. Varying between powerful and peaceful, the tracks take us on a journey through life's ups and downs and create various feelings that one might be able to identify with.


This is notably reflected by songs such as Shine, Lies and Watching me from Afar. Shine, for instance, advises us to go on with our lives despite the difficulties that we might have to put up with, no matter how hard they seem to be. This comforting track assures us that we are not alone in this.

Lies is teaching us more about deceptions that accompany us throughout our existence. We can literally feel the energy that this track is diffusing. This is greatly due to the powerful, spirit-lifting musical accompaniment.

Similar to Lies, Watching me from Afar has this same powerful, capturing effect but illustrated rather through its melodical play, which we could associate to enchantement. We can feel its magic. This final track of the album is leading us into a spiritual and peaceful ambience, that leaves us with a desire to listen to it all over again.
A track that doesn't seem to fit to the rest of the album is Floating. In comparison to the other tracks, the musical change is standing out, and one might find that it could have been an experiment within Anette's new style. The instruments that have been chosen almost have an asian approach.

The album has a slight nordic touch in terms of music. The orchestral accompaniment contributes a great amount to the ambience that is created. Shine is a pleasure to listen to, a nice piece of work and a discovery worth making, despite its seemingly short length, including only 10 tracks in total.