White Flowers: The Making of....

The making of White Flowers has been a long process... Not necessarily in the actual recording of the record but more in the psychological aspects of creating an album which one can call a solo work. I have always worked in the capacity of a linesman. Never as the quarterback. I was always the man who wrote the tune and produced it but never approached the mic to tell the story or to front a band. When Jon Pettersen, Pete Abbott, and Jojje Wadenius came into the picture (in that order I might add) I knew that I had the best that friendship could buy plus they instilled a confidence in me to go ahead with the project.

Originally White Flowers was to come out on an Independent AOR (Album Oriented Rock) Record Label based in England. I knew that my music did not match the profile held by that company but the Prez was a fan of my work with 21 Guns and other bands. So the process actual got all the way to the stage of sending out the record to journalists. Here is one review to show an example:

Life is the brainchild of, and labour of love for, 21 Guns bassist/keyboard
player Leif Johansen, and from moment one raises questions both of the
record label involved & the wider melodic rock scene.
"White Flowers" is a collection of songs crafted around mood, subtle shifts
in rhythmic patterns, layers of texture and melodies that insinuate and
weave their spell about the listener as opposed to cracking them over the
cranium.This is music for the Peter Gabriel, Sting audience, the Chris Issak
devotee, the Kate Bush acolyte and those familiar with the jazz nuances of
Steely Dan, the latter especially on "Hogtied" where Johansen's voice is a
less world weary Donald Fagen.