REVIEWS

 

The World We Know, EBM 2010

 

  • "... brilliant and done with a musical knowledge that few other Swedish artists can match." (Värmlands Folkblad)

  • "... I´m overwhelmed by this album, I just sit here and enjoy it..." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "... the guitars beutify like an appetizing dinner of the most delicious kind. My favourite is "This Island", which with the right attitude on the radio stations should take Mr. Borelius to the place he deserves. ..." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda ao)

  • "A varying and enjoyable album that grows each time I listen to it." (Meadow Music)

  • "Erik handles not only the guitar but most of the instruments and the vocals. It sounds really good. ... brilliant guitar playing ... nice background singing ... funky drumming..." (Skaraborgs Allehanda)

  • "In the booklet are, in addition to info about the album, pictures from the Stockholm archipelago. A nice detail that fits well with the cool, beautiful and melodic music." (FUZZ)

  • "All songs, except one, are his own. They often have a special attraction with choruses that grab you. His lyrics reflect modern man's problems, indicating a strong commitment to nature and the environment. ... Above all Borelius is a multifaceted guitarist, but he is also an experienced singer who articulates convincingly." (Orkesterjournalen)

  • "Jazz / Pop / Ballad - he is becoming increasingly difficult to identify the good Erik Borelius. ... the lyrics are more and more important and Erik Borelius sings them with great confidence" (Nerikes Allehanda, Motala & Vadstena Tidning)

  • "... his new album offers elegant pop on the boundary of both rock, jazz and soul." (Upsala Nya Tidning)

 

Movies On A String, EBM 2008

 

  • "Erik Borelius is an amazing guitar-player ... He is classical and Spanish, he plays poppish and jazzy. In short, he plays guitar Erik Borelius-style and it is great. This is guitar-music and also guitar-art." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "The arrangements are filled with creativity in many layers, refined elaborate and impressingly inventive... The phrasing successfully combine elegance and concern, there is plenty of passion and Duende in the brilliant melody playing..." (Kristianstadsbladet)

  • "...I especially like his tribute to Cabaret with a touch of Django Reinhardt, a meeting with the best of the old and the very new. It may well be that the songs are from the movies but the interpretations are completely new which makes Borelius reach new heights." (Värnamo Nyheter)

  • "He opens with Now We Are Free from Gladiator, makes a hilarious Cabaret, a neat Calling You from Bagdad Cafe, the exciting theme from First Blood and the classic Duelling Banjos from Deliverance. ... exciting enough to deserve a high rating." (Eskilstuna-Kuriren)

  • "Several arrangements surprise in a positive manner ... my absolute favourite, however, is Erik's arrangement and guitar playing on "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"... Erik's handling is both virtuoso and musical... Movies on a string is a fresh guitar album where Erik Borelius shows a great-sounding range on more than one string." (FUZZ)

  • "For more than twenty years we have been able to enjoy the great guitarist Erik Borelius´s tasteful playing. ... Rambo - First Blood. The theme is here, and his interpretation brings out the beauty in the melody. He manages to do the same with the themes from Godfather, Bagdad Café, Cabaret and others. The playing is impeccable and neat... It´s also premiere of a brand new Swedish version of the guitar - True temperament..." (Upsala Nya Tidning)

  • "The virtuoso Borelius plays a series of more or less famous movie themes. Euphonious and extremely well pitched - thanks to a new Swedish invention." (Dagens Nyheter)

  • "Borelius´s interpretations are complex and innovative - it's not a question of playing the melody just as it is. He focuses on the basic mood and builds something new from it. With one or two overdubs the sophisticated arrangements grow into rich and beautiful music." (Nya Wermlands-Tidningen)

  • "The guitar of the future sounds great on Erik Borelius CD ... the listener is willing to hear a special warmth in the sound. ... Quite a willful guitarist. There are not only acclaimed composers ... Rambo and Hulk. Not many people listened to the music of these simple entertainment movies." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda)

 

Live The Life Of A Star, EBM 2006

 

  • " The man has a perfect voice for the jazzy rock he performs, and a more perfect substitute for Fagen and Becker is hard to find this side of the Atlantic... a little masterpiece with attractive melodies like "No man rules over her" and "22 in 84"." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda)

  • "His acoustic playing is transparently elegant, while the electric parts are close to catching fire. Furthermore he is a good singer... It´s smart and beautiful, but still not overloaded, and it swings with supreme authority in all the various tempos. Musicianship of this kind removes all objections." (Värmlands Folkblad)

  • "Erik Borelius is most known as guitar-player - one of our greatest - who gives us music with an international touch... music in cinemascope format... everything brought together in beautiful tones, a creation of fantastic music... Buy this album if you want to hear how a guitar can be played." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "It sounds very good. The material is a rich blend of acoustic melodies and strong visionary guitars. The singers Vivien Searcy and Maja Callius contribute greatly, as do the rest of the flexible and well-playing band... This is entirely beatiful and poetic." (Nerikes Allehanda)

  • "... this is about a highly skilled musician who doesn´t avoid any style in his creative work. He represents a unique width and variation so everyone is guaranteed something that appeals, whether you dig pop, jazz, funk, rock or classical music." (Sundsvalls Tidning)

  • " He creates a kind of smart popfunkrock with resemblance of a perfectionist Steely Dan... When he let´s the strings really go they bite hard." (Upsala Nya Tidning) 

  • " Erik Borelius´s 9th album isn´t a guitar-record but rather pop and rock... This is a well-made album with some really fine melodies..." (Västerbottens Folkblad)

What Is Success?, EBM 2003

  • "... He plays and sings with a supreme sense of closeness. Well varied compositions, with lyrics that reach deep down. Erik Borelius uses both his guitar and his voice in order to produce a personal and warm address. He succeeds all the way. Well worth listening to!” (Nerikes Allehanda)

  • "... an incredibly fine piece of craftsmanship which forms the base and when the songs grow each time you listen to them, the total sum becomes really good. This year’s surprise from Sweden?” (Sundsvalls Tidning)

  • "On the verge of full points. The owls smile, or rather sing beautifully in the trees. Just like the Guitar God himself – Erik Borelius – possibly Sweden’s best at handling a guitar and now even – as it turns out – a singer of class. ... writes songs that ought to make Donald Fagen and Walter Becker jealous. ... If you like the clever lyrics by Steely Dan you have a perfect alternative here... And a most perfect one at that." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda)

  • "The whole record is in parts so perfect that you shiver with pleasure. But a warning is issued. Don’t try to listen idly to this because then the music will not give you much back. No, this demands more. Put your head-sets on, and sit back and enjoy.” (Värnamo Nyheter, Smålands-Tidningen, Vetlanda-Posten, Tranås tidning)

  • "... both pirouettes on the nylon strings as well as screaming electric guitars, and in addition he has quite a cool voice... good songs and pleasant arrangements... A softly swaying, jazzy rocky craft put together by parts that make me think of names such as Steely Dan, Pink Floyd and Paco De Lucia" (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • "Erik Borelius is a divinely gifted guitar-player, but he can certainly sing too. ... You feel the bubbling, simmering and boiling in tracks such as The loner, Shandor and Manhandle – these are bridge-building jazz-rocky songs that want to reach across all boundaries. And why not, let them free, after all, spring is just around the corner." (Eskilstuna-Kuriren)

  •  "You wonder why he hasn’t sung before, since this works so well and feels quite natural. When he uses his voice the product becomes more varied, filled with joy and interesting.” (Bohusläningen med Dals Dagblad)

  • "Bold, Borelius! ... this is, if anything, more interesting than the predecessors. Firstly, the lyrics are good, unusual and thought provoking... Secondly, the melodies are anything but ordinary. For example, “Woman on the Floor” makes you think of Steely Dan... it is impressive that Erik Borelius has dared to stray from the beaten track, risked losing the odd fan and has done something completely different." (Norra Västerbotten)

  • "... this is music that is easily accessible and yet it is far from main stream." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "... The album includes a number of beautiful melodies and musical surprises... Rebecca Zätterström supports Erik’s efforts and the choir sections are some of the highlights on the record... the guitar playing... Erik Borelius is one of this country’s best and he gets plenty of opportunity to show this. Maybe his skill is made even more obvious here where there are breaks in-between the efforts. " (Upsala Nya Tidning)

Guitar, EBM 2000

  • "His virtuoso style and his curiosity for all kinds of music from different cultures is appealing and exciting, to say the least... it´s interesting if you compare the new recordings... This time it´s wilder, tougher, and at times more profound and nuanced." (Nerikes Allehanda)

  • "Erik Borelius turns so quickly that he can be hard to follow and the result is so good and so much fun to listen to . ... An album full of variety, but still a unity. ...waiting to be discovered by a giant audience in the whole world. I take my cap of and bow." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "It’s suggestive and beautiful, technically clever and convincing. But it´s not easy to put a label on the guitar master Erik Borelius... his virtuoso side is also abundantly explored on this generously comprehensive album." (Länstidningen Östersund)

  • "...an old favourite; a guitar virtuoso with a feeling for melodies... No, the new recordings won´t make me revalue Borelius." (Norra Västerbotten)

  • "For me the name Erik Borelius, until now, was unknown.... Now I will remember it. ... I step into this guitar-landscape. And stay, for a long time. ... his absolutely brilliant guitar playing is enough to drive away the darkness of winter." (Nya Dagen)

  • "... highly dextrous, flamenco-variations... presented in a melting-pot full of contrasts that turns from curiosity-rock to classical music... yummy for the freaks..." (Sundsvalls Tidning)

  • "The versatility is his strength, as well as the ability to create moods and write beautiful melodies - not to mention the technical skill." (Hallands Nyheter)

  • "Then there are those who reach one step further and develop an amazing skilfulness on their instrument. Among them you can find names like John McLaughlin, Göran Söllscher, but also Erik Borelius." (Västerbottens Folkblad)

  • "Super guitarist Erik Borelius... sure of aim as an Indian on a buffalo-hunt... If this isn´t relaxing, rhythmic and beautiful I don´t know what it is." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda)

  • "The result feels like an album of completely new music. ... The technique is there but never as an end in itself. The melodies are too good for that. ... If you like McLaughlin, Di Meola and other guitar-heroes this album is a must." (Karlskoga Tidning)

  • "Here you have a good chance to discover this exciting guitar-player, who offer you nothing but pearls from his rich production from 1986 until today. (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • "new recordings... A successful move - like adding zest to food... He plays in a sensitive and personal way where every fragile tone feels important. ...a blend of classic guitar, jazz and folk music. But still more..." (Värnamo Nyheter, Tranås Tidning & Vetlanda Posten)

  • "Imagine Jimi Hendrix, imagine Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Kings, think of Swedish folk-music and sadness. ...The influences comes from many different styles but Erik’s astonishing technique and perfectly clear acoustic tone together with his arrangements forms a whole often lacking on a "Best Of"-album. (Gefle Dagblad)

  • "Erik really knows how to handle his instrument and the blend of Swedish jazz and Latin sounds and rhythms works superbly. (Upsala Nya Tidning)

  • "Erik Borelius covers the whole register. Sometimes so bold that you in one melody have a hard time deciding what you are listening to. Well, call it music. Wonderful music!... I have only heard one guitar-player manage anything like it, that´s my earlier idol, Paco de Lucia.... With panegyric words I praise the guitar-player and musician Erik Borelius to the skies where he now belongs:..." ( Leopold Report)

  • "This years album 2000" (Hallands Nyheter)

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  • "Well, is it suitable for reference-listening? Oh, yes if you won´t get caught by the fabulous beat of the music and forget to analyze. There is a risk because the album just grows and grows the more you listen to it..." (HIFI Magasinet)

Reality Bites, EBM 1997

  • "A wonderful album filled with beautiful, powerful guitar tones by divinely gifted guitarist Borelius. Definitely recommended!" (Vestmanlands Läns Tidning)

  • "This album takes my breath away. It is quite simply superb... Estelle Milburne's gentle, but oh so expressive voice.. Reality Bites is one of this year's best Swedish albums. Perhaps we could hope for an award of some sort??" (Kristianstadsbladet)

  • "Clean, pure tones to delightful pieces of music where Erik dabbles with classical, jazz and pop...well-played and beautiful." (Aftonbladet)

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  • "... Estelle Milburne's singing is a wonderful surprise... together they make this jazzrock album a really fun surprise!." (Upsala Nya Tidning)

  • "Virtuously and brilliantly played. Reality Bites is sophisticated. ...beautiful and melodious." (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • Fantastic with fantasy... his excellent technique intensifies the feeling and the exciting timbre of the melodies ...elegantly unlocks your imagination." (Värmlands Folkblad)

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  • "Things have never been the same since I heard EB in 1986 in "No Fool" from his debut album "Perfect Partners". B always communicates something new in his music...the instrumental pieces are all small masterpieces...so if you want to shiver a little, feel fantastic and float away for a while, invest in this self-taught(!) guitarist and, above-all, enjoy the winter nights." (Norrländska Socialdemokraten)

  • "It is concert music. Modern classical music. Delightful, beautiful, suggestive and expressive. Erik Borelius is a virtuoso waiting to be discovered by a huge audience all over the world." (Dala-Demokraten)

  • "Surprisingly fanciful. Borelius virtuously and playfully releases his songs. ...Estelle Milburne embellishes it all.... Borelius lives up to all the high expectations." (Östersunds-Posten)

  • "... where you expect it to gush he suddenly chooses a brighter tone and you can see that he wants something more. He tries constantly new sound directions and harmonies. Estelle Milburne on vocals is a soft lift for this otherwise advanced instrumental music." (Sundsvalls-Tidning)

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  • "Erik Borelius is a fantastic guitarist. Sensitive, smooth, dexterous and experimental... Reality Bites is like a    dream odyssey around the world. Feel how Estelle Milburne's voice envelops you... the autumn can't get   more beautiful than this." (Barometern)

  • "Favourite guitarist." (Norra Västerbotten)

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  • "The vocals contribute with new exciting horizons of sound...beautiful guitar playing with roots sucking the heat from southern spiciness." (Nerikes Allehanda)

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  • "Well done Erik! Estelle... her voice is beautiful and strong, a great asset. The rest of the band is in the same high class. The music feels totally right...an excellent album which grows with each listening." (Nya Wermlands-Tidningen)

  • "Erik Borelius' album is a masterpiece in finger technique. He caresses the strings as if the guitar were a Greek goddess." (Östgöta Correspondenten)

  • "... Super guitarist Erik Borelius....definitely worth a listen for both jazz and rock lovers. Reality Bites is without a doubt Erik's best album to date, his time at EMI included." (Örnsköldsviks Allehanda)

  • "Pathos and devilish wit combine very attractively in both musicians' performances and the arrangements."   (Arbetarbladet)

  • "Wonderfully pretentious guitar playing which reveres the memory of both symphonic and jazz rock" (Månadsjournalen)

My Kind Of Picture, EBM 1995

  • "Erik is a divinely gifted musician, a incredibly skillful guitar-player, both technical and inventive... The music is meditative, soulfull, lyric, impulsive and inspiring." (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • "A find for jazz haters, dreamy, lively, at times "spanish" guitarfantasies." (Expressen)

  • "A constant flow of new ideas. Five albums in ten years and still no sign of clichees. It is hard not to be impressed with this young demon guitarist." (Helsingborgs Dagblad)

  • "His music is so overpoweringly beautiful that it feels like sitting in front of a soothing log fire or in a yoga position." (När&Var)

  • "Anyone who takes the time to get into Erik Borelius world of music will be generously rewarded." (Metro)

Duende, EBM 1994 - Swedish Grammy-nomination

  • "... Erik stands for a very melodic, appealing and exciting instrumental music with many depths. He is a clever guitarist, technically well developed, sensitive to sounds and nuances but also personable and creative. Erik Borelius deserves his international break-through as soon as possible." (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • "Unusually successful, well-arranged modern instrumental music... an eldorado for acoustic guitars. Within Borelius the soloist lives an inflammable little flamenco player... Duende stands apart from all faceless new age, ambient music and whatever else today's versions of different instrumental music are called." (Sydsvenska Dagbladet)

SexTioTvå, EBM 1993 - Swedish Grammy-winner

  • "Wild, beautiful. Soft, melodious. Rythmic attacks with a raw and honest force! Tasty & delightful, sweet & salt. "SexTioTvå" has got it all" (motivation of the GRAMMY-jury)

  • "He allows the acoustic guitar to play the leading role and lets of a string of surprising beautiful melodies... superb". (Norra Västerbotten)

  • "Erik is a virtuoso guitarist with a fasthanded, technical and creative style. Smart and impressively clever..." (Göteborgs-Posten)

Fantasy, EMI 1988

  • "Erik Borelius is a demon with his instrument and has an amazing musical creative strength.....could be a modern Swedish Mozart" (Nordvästra Skånes Tidningar)

  • "One notices Borelius devotion to the guitar, music and composition" (Svenska Dagbladet)

Perfect Partners, EMI 1986

  • "A new star, the ultimate guitar album" (Göteborgs-Posten)

  • "Fantastic debut" (Sydsvenska Dagbladet)

  • "Debut above the norm" (Svenska Dagbladet)

  • "Exceptional musicality" (Orkesterjournalen)

  • "Do not miss Erik Borelius" (Kvällsposten)

  • "... the acquaintance with this ultimate guitarist will be this years musical event" (Jönköpings-Posten)