"Taken Love - Without love" is a pop album, which you listen that it was produced without time pressure over four years.
The pieces seem not cobbled together, Discofox beats à la Helene Fischer or Andrea Berg are nowhere.
Instead, you can hear a variety of real instruments: violin, viola, cello, trumpets and trombones fit with drums, bass, guitar and piano to a sort of "pop rock" together.
The melodies are catchy but not naive, the texts are (in pop-standards) largely above average. "Come to bed" is (perhaps too) clearly ambiguous, "New Shoes" and "man man man" are extremely entertaining, "From you I'll love" is neither banal nor cheesy love letter.
Musical highlights include, apart from the catchy "Love Built - Without love", certainly the fan-heavy and bombastic "A shot too much," the jazzy "man man man" and finally the total work of art "From you I'll love".
The last song on the album is especially so outstanding, because not only the Arrangement (discreet piano and strings perfectly arranged) is very beautiful but also Wencke itself proves that she is a great singer.
Ever would Wencke not appreciate in this album on 60, if they do not ironically alluded in some texts on this age. The voice is great and visually it is quite juggeblieben as the beautifully designed booklet reveals.
Schlagereinheitsbrei one nevertheless finds but on this CD: "Your heart my heart" or "a little bit more I" are little more than filler that could run on any conservative radio station.
Therefore, a total of only 4 stars for this entertaining project of the Norwegian singer.
A BUY recommendation I set with all those who lovingly designed pop - and should be emphasized - like real instruments.