06-11-2021, 16:14
ABBA ~ Voyage
![[Image: R-20850085-1636195145-1913.jpeg.jpg]](https://img.discogs.com/BLw3a_wV5lw5mP1Ri4E6xKCEtCw=/fit-in/300x300/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(40)/discogs-images/R-20850085-1636195145-1913.jpeg.jpg)
Not quite what I expected. Although I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting! There are a few tracks that are catchy as hell and reminiscent of the ABBA that once was, but there are also a number of almost folk oriented songs, and one in particular that belongs in a risqué version of The Sound of Music if you ask me – the bizarre Christmassy “Little Things”! Lol! They tackle some heavy subject matter too – there is not a whole lot of joy in alcoholism, divorce, aging and regret, but that’s life, I guess, and there are very few of us who have not been touched by human failing, whether our own or that of others, or both! They manage to stick in a lament about the state of the planet for good measure as well, on “Bumblee”.
However, back to the music. If I recall correctly, Agnetha was first popular as a singer of Swedish songs and I know Benny also has roots steeped in tradition – perhaps they all do? There seems to be more of that coming through here than there was back in their heyday; a pronounced Swedishness which is hard to explain (unless you have met a few Swedes) - even in the lyrics - very little of the disco vibe although it does pop up now and then – pardon the pun!
Turned out to be quite an emotional listen in the end – this is no happy little reunion album. I was left feeling surprisingly sombre and serious, and I suppose it’s kinda fitting that it’s that way, after all. The girls’ harmonies are still lovely, the timbre of their voices a little deeper and while a tad ragged, always recognisable. There are sneaky little references to some of their well-known stuff – the arrangements and performances are spot on as might be expected – this is an album for a forgiving and mature listener, IMHO: a little cheesy with some odd sentiments, dated views on certain subjects and empty of future promise, but also warm, human, unapologetic and strangely endearing. Or maybe that’s just nostalgia talking – who knows??!
Tracklisting:
The final track that hits all the feely buttons despite the lyrics being a little cryptic ...
After all that I was obliged to revisit one of my favourites ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1wBYIudbA
Not quite what I expected. Although I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting! There are a few tracks that are catchy as hell and reminiscent of the ABBA that once was, but there are also a number of almost folk oriented songs, and one in particular that belongs in a risqué version of The Sound of Music if you ask me – the bizarre Christmassy “Little Things”! Lol! They tackle some heavy subject matter too – there is not a whole lot of joy in alcoholism, divorce, aging and regret, but that’s life, I guess, and there are very few of us who have not been touched by human failing, whether our own or that of others, or both! They manage to stick in a lament about the state of the planet for good measure as well, on “Bumblee”.
However, back to the music. If I recall correctly, Agnetha was first popular as a singer of Swedish songs and I know Benny also has roots steeped in tradition – perhaps they all do? There seems to be more of that coming through here than there was back in their heyday; a pronounced Swedishness which is hard to explain (unless you have met a few Swedes) - even in the lyrics - very little of the disco vibe although it does pop up now and then – pardon the pun!
Turned out to be quite an emotional listen in the end – this is no happy little reunion album. I was left feeling surprisingly sombre and serious, and I suppose it’s kinda fitting that it’s that way, after all. The girls’ harmonies are still lovely, the timbre of their voices a little deeper and while a tad ragged, always recognisable. There are sneaky little references to some of their well-known stuff – the arrangements and performances are spot on as might be expected – this is an album for a forgiving and mature listener, IMHO: a little cheesy with some odd sentiments, dated views on certain subjects and empty of future promise, but also warm, human, unapologetic and strangely endearing. Or maybe that’s just nostalgia talking – who knows??!
Tracklisting:
- "I Still Have Faith in You"
- "When You Danced with Me”
- "Little Things"
- "Don't Shut Me Down"
- "Just a Notion"
- "I Can Be That Woman"
- "Keep an Eye on Dan"
- "Bumblebee”
- "No Doubt About It”
- "Ode to Freedom"
The final track that hits all the feely buttons despite the lyrics being a little cryptic ...
After all that I was obliged to revisit one of my favourites ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1wBYIudbA
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson
