Sweet Trade

Sweet Trade, released on 28 September 2007, is the second album, on which The Poodles gathered soaring vocals, shimmering keys and crisp guitars into clear songwriting. Twelve tracks were chosen from 35 candidates. The songs carry wide-open choruses that lift the listener naturally. Released in Sweden, across Europe, in Russia and Japan, it reached the Top Ten at home. Beneath it lay over a hundred shows the previous year and a forced march with HammerFall and Krokus — 31 shows in 18 countries in 35 days. From the opening “Flesh and Blood,” the songs balance romantic melody with powerful rhythm. The advance single “Seven Seas” is an unusual piece, co-written by Samuel, Jonas Reingold and the actor Peter Stormare. “Streets of Fire” went double platinum, the band's biggest hit at the time. After release came a European tour with Gotthard, then a headline run of 17 sold-out shows. In 2008 they returned to Melodifestivalen with “Line of Fire” alongside E-Type, and were handed “Raise the Banner,” Sweden's official song for the Beijing Olympics. Scandinavian polish, played approachably.