Daniel Lemma

Lemma first reached a broader public in 2000 after composing the score for Josef Fares’ feature Jalla Jalla. Its standout track, “If I Used to Love You,” evoked vintage Southern soul tinged with Jimmy Cliff’s phrasing; radio listeners frequently mistook the recording for a long-forgotten classic. Prior to this exposure, Lemma had already cut an album that remained unreleased and had fronted two Göteborg ensembles: Mo Blues, devoted to early Delta blues and songster repertoire, and Mo Funk, which performed soul and party funk in local clubs without issuing any recordings. He subsequently spent several years in New York writing material and completing another soul album, yet the label’s bankruptcy trapped the finished work in ensuing litigation. After waiting two years without resolution, Lemma returned to Göteborg, where Josef Fares invited him to score his next film. The following year Morning Train appeared, self-produced by Lemma and featuring many of his earlier collaborators, among them bassist Stefan Wingefors and guitarist Mats Eriksson. While the album recalled his previous projects, it favored a gentler tone, omitting pure blues and limiting up-tempo numbers. The record quickly climbed the charts, drawing a wide listenership with its approachable soul that occasionally veered toward a singer-songwriter sensibility.