Artist: J. Karjalainen

J. Karjalainen (Jukka Tapio Karjalainen, born 1. April 1957, Helsinki) is possibly the most critically acclaimed and successful Finnish singer-songwriter. Starting out in 1980 his early albums were a mix of rhytmic blue-eyed soul and pop rock, while his latter albums have been increasingly influenced by folk and blues. J. Karjalainen has had a huge influence in Finnish rock music since the 1980's, as well as in the formation of Finnish blue-eyed soul scene. His music has been compared to the likes of Van Morrison and Bob Dylan, but of course, Karjalainen sings in his native tongue, Finnish.n n His music is often blues-influenced, lyrically witty and somehow comforting. Lyrical themes vary from childhood memories (like Verinen Mies or Paskahousua) to varyingly obscure tales of everyday life. Tulpaani ja Sadepisara for example tells a tale of a tulip in the verge of dying of thirst. Karjalainen has created a sort of an alter ego wich he refers to as "Laulumies", the singer or singerman.n n His latest album Lännen-Jukka features himself alone with a banjo and sometimes ...