On My Way is the second EP released by Anton Ewald and follows his second consecutive Melodifestivalen appearance. The days of ‘Natural’ and ‘Begging’ are behind him: or so the title suggests. In light of Anton’s revelation that he won’t compete at Melodifestivalen again it seems a real case of starting a new chapter.
Lead single ‘This Could Be Something’ features Danish popstar Medina. Typical Scandipop fodder, the auto-tuning is heavy, the message simply about love, and its accompanying video builds around a steamy affair. It veers out of generic territory thanks to Anton’s confidence. He sounds like an actual popstar, and against the likes of the arguably more experienced Medina, he more than holds his own. Electropop dancefloor-lover is also a persona that Anton plays with ease, only adding to the success of the duet and making it a great deal stronger than either of his MelFest tracks.
‘Save The Last Dance’ has much more of an R&B vibe. The spoken-singing vocal fits Anton quite well, but the overall feel of the song is more Justin Timberlake karaoke performance. It could be any number of the offcuts from the 20/20 Experience and doesn’t even sound all that different to songs from Justin Bieber’s second album. Enjoyable then, but hardly inspired.
‘Prison’ on the other hand is rather more special. A piece of dark and piano-underscored electro-balladry it tingles with promise. The dubstep flecks and heavily produced vocals, both staple features of an Anton Ewald track, give the piece some real iciness. It actually enhances the emotional pull of the piece and makes it rather more sweeping. Stripping it all back through the middle 8, leaving Anton’s natural voice to carry the piece, lends the song an intimacy not found elsewhere on the EP.
The most disappointing part of the EP though? The fact that ‘Should’ve Named You Trouble’ made the album. Where ‘Prison’ and to an extent ‘This Could Be Something’ rise above genre, ‘Should’ve Named You Trouble’ is thoroughly anoynomous. Any Melfest alum could sing this and nobody would bat an eyelid (this could legit be any of them, except more experienced performers might have had the sense to turn this down…).
The vocal also has the unfortunate Glee-like quality of being so overproduced the natural voice is lost. Even more bizarrely the spoken elements sound auto-tuned too. There’s no real evidence of human input at all. For all intents and purposes a computer sings at you for about three minutes. Yuck!
Overall On My Way doesn’t entirely deliver on its premise. The sound is almost certainly more mature and in ‘This Could Be Something’ Anton has a verified belter on his hand that also isn’t limited by a teen fan base. Unfortunately ‘Prison’ aside, there are two tracks that lack much individuality or identity. Anton is on his way, but if credible music career is his destination (as the flashes of brilliance on ‘This Could Be Something’ and ‘Prison’ suggest) he has a long way to go yet.
Rating: 2.5/5
