Voyage

What an experience. What a feeling to be able to listen to a brand new ABBA record in 2021.Firstly, this album isn’t cutting edge or ground breaking. Don’t expect modern reinvention. But it’s not trying to do that. There’s a self-aware element running under this album. All 4 members clearly wanted to make something timeless and ageless. This is an album that ABBA have made because they love to make music. It very much feels like a “thank you and goodnight” moment, a way for the members to put some closure on their ABBA career whilst also letting it continue in their fans lives. As such, it’s full of little nods to the past. This is an album for the love of ABBA and ABBA fans - not for the critics.“I Still Have Faith In You” still makes me quite emotional. For many years, the 4 band members were quite dismissive of their ABBA years, or possibly overwhelmed by it all.“We have a story, and it survived”. It’s both the gratitude and amazement in the delivery of that line. Gets me everytime. Cause you know that they thought they were done and discarded for so many years, I find it really heartwarming that they’re finally comfortable with it all and can actually be proud of what they did and enjoy it. It would have been even better had the song opened with a fade in of the crowd applause like in the video. That would’ve been a wonderful way to open the album, a nod to the new Voyage live show and also a throwback to “The Way Old Friends Do”.“When You Danced With Me” is a great track. Clearly Irish influenced but with a typical ABBA twist. The melody reminds me of “Arrival”. They’ve not really done anything like this. It’s a big track, quite loud, but that gives it this really unique atmosphere. Like your stood out in the sweeping Irish countryside when you listen to it. Wonderful to hear them try something new at this stage of their career. The joint vocal by Agnetha and Frida is just wonderful too.“Little Things” manages to combine 2 things I hate. Christmas and children’s choirs. BAH HUMBUG. Having said that, whilst I don’t think this is a song I will listen to often, it has a timeless quality too it. Like an old Christmas standard that families would sing around the piano on Christmas Day. It’s quite a warm little song, very sweet. It’s feels more like a poem though, there’s no real chorus too it. A pop song it ain’t.“Don’t Shut Me Down” is an instant ABBA classic. It’s like the sequel to “One of Us” with a bit of “If It Wasn’t For the Nights” thrown in for good measure. The second chorus is so euphoric and probably my favourite moment on the album. A great characterisation performance from Agnetha too. She has such a unique way of making you feel what she’s singing, and though her voice has lowered over the years, she hasn’t lost that magic ability to pull you in. I would not have been surprised if this was a leftover from the 1982 sessions that gave us “Under Attack” and “I Am The City” either.“Just A Notion” I didn’t like as a stand along single and I’m still a bit miffed that they re-used 1978 vocals on a 2021 album. Having said that I enjoyed it a lot more in context with the album. I think it’s a fun song, and it really injects that into the album. It’s needed too, as some of the subject matter on the back end of the album is quite serious.“I Can Be That Woman” is quite a harrowing tale of alcoholism and domestic abuse. I thought with all the dog references that I would hate it but again, Agnetha really draws you into the story. One of the lyrically darkest songs I think they’ve done. Really love this one.“Keep An Eye On Dan” is a bit of an 80’s throwback musically and great example of Agnetha & Frida taking some slightly naff lyrics and making it something special. Again, quite a dark tale about a divorced couple, and one of the couple meets someone new, and that effect on the child. Great little nod to “SOS” at the end too. The drums in the chorus seem a bit off for some reason though - quite “unsmooth”? Like they’re not really gelling with the rest of the track. It could have done with a smoother drum take, to give it more of a slick “Lay All Your Love On Me” type sound. The verses are incredible though.“Bumblebee” has an amazing vocal by Frida. She sounds so strong here. The song is folky, I can hear a bit of a nod to “Fernando” in it and some of the earlier ABBA tracks from the first album. It didn’t jump out at me at first but it’s growing on me. Again - the serious subject in a polished song - this one is about climate change.“No Doubt About It” - what a great pop rock track. This wouldn’t sound out of place on Frida’s “Shine” album. You can hear in her vocal delivery that she’s really having fun with it too. This would’ve made a great single.“Ode to Freedom” sounds like ABBA doing Enya, with a touch of “Like An Angel Passing Through My Room” thrown in for good measure. Great atmosphere although the vocal is a bit buried in the mix and it’s hard to decipher the lyrics at times. It also ends quite abruptly - I sort of wish it had a bigger, longer outro to really send us off into the future so that the voyage really never ends, but a beautiful song nonetheless.Overall a really wonderful album. Does it really reach the heights of their original run? No. But it’s certainly better than their low’s (I’m looking at you, “I Saw It In The Mirror”). Also, this is not an album made by people in their 20’s and 30’s either. Don’t go in expecting to hear “Voulez-Vous” or “Dancing Queen”. But it’s a very beautiful way of rounding off ABBA nicely. More proof that their music will truly never die, and thank good for that! The world needs ABBA.

Abbas' reunion has been one of this year's big surprises. It has, of course, been a wish and hope among many fans, and it seems as if it is the group's reputation as one of popular music's alltime greatest has grown over the years - even among more critical music lovers.I have now listened through the album 6-7 times and I am certainly not disappointed - as you easily become when groups reunite. In many ways, the music and arrangements are an immediate extension of the predecessors "Super Trouper" and "The Visitors" from 1980 and 1981 - Yes, despite the forty years that have passed. It's almost as if they've never were away. Vocally, the girls are still in great shape and as for the songwriting there’s not much to object to. Incidentally, a song has vocals sung in 1978 during the “Voulez Vous” sessions. The album has a nice playing length of close to 40 minutes; I'm not a fan of overly long albums, especially not when the quality for this is not there.The album opens with the single "I Still Have Faith in You" with lead vocals from Anni-Frid. It's a magnificent ballad with a great build up and a nice refrain, "Do I Have it in Me?" - It is hardly too daring to predict a new classic here, on a par with many of the greatest songs from 1970-1981.On "When you Danced with me" we find tones based on Irish folk music; including bagpipe sounds. The melody is catchy and the lyrics nostalgic / melancholy - actually quite moving."Little Things" is a quiet Christmas song - as far as I know the group's first Christmas release. Nice melody with vocals from both girls. We will probably hear it during the Christmas month for many years to come."Don't Shut Me Down" has also been out as a single, and has jumped to the top in several places. After a subdued intro, a captivating beat begins and a new very melodic and well-turned verse begins. The chorus goes straight in and we are witnessing another new classic. The verses are sung by Agnetha with harmony from Anni-Frid; mostly on the chorus. An absolute highlight."Just a Notion" is the aforementioned song that originates from the "Voulez Vous" sessions. You can actually well sense it; especially in the music, it is very much 1970s pop - a happy up-beat song.“I Can Be That Woman” is a magnificent ballad sung by Agnetha; the melody sounds like something Bryan Adams might well have written; really nice."Keep an Eye on Dan" is one of the songs where you can hear that you are not in the 1980s anymore. A more modern sound, but unmistakably Abba.On the subdued "Bumble Bee" we again meet tones based on the folkish tradition. A little comment on our environment that is suffering badly these years."No Doubt About It" is an upbeat dance song. Classic Abba and a probable radio hit; sung by Anni-Frid.The album ends with the magnificent anthem "Ode to Freedom", which puts a nice full-stop to a surprisingly well-laid and successful comeback album.

A really great album! My mum has enjoyed this CD.