MANDO DIAO - AS IN THE DAYS OF YORE?

The stage, or rather setting, consisted of four rooms in which the history of the five Swedes is told. The album „Mando Diao Unplugged – Above And Beyond“ was made available for purchase on November 12, 2010.

The album includes tracks with headliners like Hollywood icon and singer Juliette Lewis; the legendary singer of the Kinks, Ray Davies; and the American newcomer Lana Del Ray. The five youngsters from Borlange, Sweden gave their all to join the ranks of the “unplugged” stars. And what’s more, Klaus Voormann, known for the cover of the Beatles’ “Revolver” album, was stage-side all night to create an illustration of the performance.

The songs are a retrospective of ten years Mando Diao - aside from a few previously unreleased pieces, the album parades in full glory just how many popular hits the group has put out, known or unknown. And when you’ve already heard a few of them a million times on the radio, you’ll be positively reminded that it was for good reason - for example the platin-certified single “Dance with Somebody”, or “Sheepdog”, in its acoustic version with harmonica and violins, a completely fresh interpretation. Although “High Heels” with Juliette Lewis isn’t one of the top songs of the album, her smoky singing voice makes it a welcome enrichment. When Ray Davies gives his wholehearted, seemingly spontaneous performance with the youngsters of The Kinks’ classic “Victoria”, one is finally completely won over.

Apart from the songwriting skills of the boys, they also once again prove their live performance skills, and coupled with the brilliant unplugged versions of songs the result is a thoroughly enjoyable album. The “unplugged” versions will definitely stick with us even longer than the original ones.