The Magnolia (SWE)
Gothenburg-based Magnolia stylishly updates the golden age of soul music in their sound—a time when artists from legendary labels such as Stax and Motown (including Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Booker T. & the M.G.’s) dominated the charts in the 1960s and 1970s. Magnolia is a six-piece band whose lead vocalists are Albin Lee Meldau and Arvid Nero, both among the most highly regarded Swedish artists of today.
Albin Lee Meldau has toured extensively in his home country and has performed, among other highlights, a sold-out concert at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena. His music is infused with soul, blues, and country. With self-ironic humor, Meldau describes himself as “a worn-out country singer in disguise.” Arvid Nero’s musical roots also lie in blues and soul, and he draws inspiration from lyrical songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.