After four polished but passionles albums with Swedish popsters the Cardigans, Nina Persson has finally found her true voice. The product of an extended recording session with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, A Camp is a graceful collection of sparse introspective songs that suit Persson's soulful vocals perfectly. If she's been constrained in the past by the pressure of writing for five people, here she really lets herself go with lyrics that are striking, distinctive and often painfully honest. Musically the songs veer between country and electronica, consistently well executed and a million miles away from the Cardigans' fluffy brand of Europop. Silly name apart, A Camp is by far the best thing Persson has ever done.
