Special

"Toft·Olsen styrker med sit tredje album i eget navn det indtryk, at han agter at bemægtige sig croonernes musikscene. Special er således den danske crooners bedste album til dato - et album, der vidner om, at man med modenhed, ro og teknisk tyngde kommer langt, hvis man vil tilføre vokaljazzen et element af autenticitet".

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"Toft-Olsen comes across as a singer in total control of his voice, it's no coincidence that he is a praised voice teacher, but fortunately he does not descend into pure vocal pyrotechnics. Instead, he often finds subtle layers in a song. He knows that Chaplin's famous "Smile" is just as much about hidden tears as it is a careless proclamation of joy. Toft-Olsen recognizes the singular potential of the songs he sings, whether they are standards or his own compositions. His mission of finding the memorable moments in a song succeeds on Special".

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"Accompanied by Heine Hansen on piano, Morten Lund on drums and Thomas Vang on bass, Olsen takes on mostly romantic standards ("When I Fall In Love") and four originals, collaborations with lyricist Mark Davies, all themed on matters of the heart, sung in finely-tuned English".