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As incredulous as it sounds, ‘Paragon’ is the debut solo release from Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen. 26 years after first coming to notice with Dutch symphonic metal outfit After Forever, Jansen – arguably the best vocalist on the scene today, and with a voice capable of stopping a charging rhino and turning it into the rhino equivalent of a lapdog – has at long last delivered her first full body of work that bears only her name.
Until now the closest fans got to a full-on solo album was 2018’s rather excellent Northward album (which included a track called ‘Paragon’) which saw Floor team up with Jørn Viggo Lofstad of Norwegian progressive metal band Pagan’s Mind. But with ringing endorsements gained from appearing in 2019 on the Dutch TV show Beste Zangers (translated as Best Singers), the much-mooted debut album began to gain some momentum. A momentum that to an extent came to a stuttering halt with the worldwide lockdown. And here is where Floor really came to fully grasp the benefits of social media and ramped up her online presence a thousand-fold. Her excellent YouTube channel started “Fan Friday”, which did what it says on the tin and allowed fans a glimpse into the life of Floor Jansen through a quick Q&A. And there were the YouTube cover versions. Heart’s classic ‘Alone’ got the full-Floor treatment – and she did indeed hit that note – but it was perhaps the joyous cover of ‘Let it Go’ from Disney’s Frozen that gave a hint of the lighter, poppier path that a Floor Jansen solo album might go down. Couple that with the majestical and hair-raising version of ‘Phantom of The Opera’ with Henk Poort on Beste Zangers (21 million YouTube views to date), and from the same series, two utterly gorgeous versions of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s Oscar-winning song ‘Shallow’ (one solo version, one with fellow contestant Tim Akkerman), then the timing was just right for ‘Paragon’ to get off the ground and in early 2022 the first solo material from Floor appeared in the guise of lead-single ‘Fire’. And to be honest, she hasn’t looked back since.
With paragon defined as “a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality”, and “a person or thing viewed as a model of excellence”, then it really is the perfect album title. In terms of content; ‘Paragon’ is the pink-suited Floor Jansen that performed live in the afternoon sun at Pinkpop Festival 2022, rather than the Queen Boudica/Valkyrie Queen Floor Jansen that performed later that night with Nightwish. ‘Paragon’ also highlights the versatility of Floor’s vocals and might just stick in the throat of the “that’s not metal” crowd, although, I would wager that many of said crowd would find more than enough within to please even the Chairman of the “that’s not metal” board (not to be confused with the Chairman of the “you can’t headbang and windmill now that you have cut your hair” board). Symphonic metal fans will lap up the majestic, soaring heights of ‘Come Full Circle’ and with a few added Tuomas Holopainen-isms then it would be a perfect track for Nightwish. Here, the arrangements are subtle, and the layered backing vocals are lush and add an additional element, as does the drum sound that gradually builds to an explosion of euphoria during the tail end of the song – but it is Floor’s uber-clear enunciation that takes top spot. ‘The Calm’ is another wonderful moment which thanks to some super atmospheric arrangements and ethereal vocals will find a home in amongst the Nightwish catalogue.
‘My Paragon’ opens the album, and would be a great set-opener. A fine blend of pop electronic beats, a light Summer-y shimmering guitar tone, and vocals that burrow deep into the psyche with simple bridges here and there that are so infectious you’ll be singing along within the first listen. Ditto ‘Daydream’ and ‘Storm’, a pair of power ballads that reach new heights with each listen, and if you are listening through a decent pair of cans it is almost like Floor is alongside you. On the latter, Floor proclaims “You’re gonna hear my voice roar like thunder” and the song is proof indeed that a vocalist doesn’t need to bellow at full power to make themselves heard. The production on ‘Paragon’ is top-notch and pushes the vocals straight to the front, but not to the detriment of the instrumentation, and ‘Invincible’ features a simple piano tone alongside some gorgeous string arrangements that bring an inspirational quality to a track that raises the issue of PTSD and was originally written specifically for the Invictus Games. The Carly Simon-like whispered vocals on ‘Hope’ are a real standout moment on the album and one that keeps on calling the listener back for more, and is undoubtedly one of Floor’s strongest vocal performances outside of the Nightwish world. Wonderfully restrained, it is utterly gorgeous. As is ‘Me Without You’ which with its hypnotic percussion, and slow-burning vibe is a Bond theme in all but name.
Closing out with the vocal-led pair of ‘Armoured Wings’ and, the one that started it all, ‘Fire’, ‘Paragon’ is a delight. Fans of Floor Jansen won’t be surprised that the debut solo album offers up some shades lighter than others might have expected. It is rare that when a lead vocalist releases a solo album it sounds anything like their day job; think Myles Kennedy’s solo material compared to Alter Bridge. As well as reflecting where the artist is at that particular time, solo albums allow artists the opportunity to spread their wings and express themselves in a way that perhaps they might not have been able to within their main vehicle. With ‘Paragon’, Floor Jansen has accomplished everything she set out to accomplish, and in some style.
‘Paragon’ is available here.
Review – Dave
Catch Floor on tour throughout April and May, more information is here.
