All songs by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.
© 2021 Polar Music International.
Reviewed by Tony Magee
ABBA formed in 1972 in Stockholm, and this 2021 release is their first studio album in 40 years, the last being The Visitors from 1981.
Having only toured some Scandinavian and European countries in their early years, it was their sensational 1977 Australian tour which put ABBA firmly on the map as international superstars.
One delightful aspect of this 2021 album release is the inclusion of the Children’s Choir of Stockholm International School, as well as the Stockholm Concert Orchestra, both of whom perform with sensitivity and style on some tracks.
With all brand new songs, there are ten titles in total. My copy is the French LP pressing and the sound quality is excellent. Here are some highlights:
Opening with the ballad I Still Have Faith In You, the lyric is a loving reflection of a couple who are considering rekindling a relationship from long ago. It’s one of the best tracks on the album and the lyric explores some deep emotions.
Bumblebee opens with an instrumental introduction giving a lovely nostalgic nod to Fernando, an ABBA song which stayed at number one on the Australian charts for a record 16 weeks in 1976. I remember Molly eventually tiring of continually announcing it as the closing credits rolled on Countdown.
When You Danced With Me is a Scottish inspired song, joyous and uplifting with plenty of bagpipes to match.
Little Things is a gentle reflection on all the “little things” that make people special and unique. The children’s choir provides a moving contribution in the final chorus.
Don’t Shut Me Down is also based on a couple attempting to re-unite, on the basis that one of them has changed and wants to be given a second chance.
Just a Notion tells the story of two people who have only just met, still trying to get to know each other and on the brink of a possible relationship. Its upbeat and danceable groove is uplifting, with plenty of rich harmonies which was a hallmark of the original ABBA sound.
Ode To Freedom is definitely the most moving and significant track on the album, delivering a sentiment of despair at the appalling limitations on freedom for some of the world’s people, but also combined with hope for the future - that freedom is a basic human right for all.
Listening to it, I was reminded of Leonard Bernstein’s massive concert undertaking at the Brandenburg Gate on December 25, 1989, celebrating the fall of the Berlin Wall, with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Bernstein chose to change the word “Joy”, from Schiller’s poem Ode to Joy, sung during the symphony, to “Freedom”, a decision he felt authorised to make by “the power of the moment” as he put it.
Whether ABBA were inspired in composing and performing their Ode to Freedom by Bernstein’s 1989 concert is difficult to say, but I do have a feeling in my heart that there could be a connection somewhere there. Certainly, a children’s choir is also common to both.
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Leonard Bernstein and assistant Craig Urquhart at the Berlin Wall, 1989, Photo by Andreas Meyer-Schwickerath |
At 71 and 75 respectively, Agnetha Fältskog and Frida Lyngstad’s voices are still sounding remarkably fresh and youthful, with their full and considerable vocal ranges very apparent.
Benny, as always, is on piano and synth for all tracks. He is actually an outstanding pianist, something that was not always apparent during their pop music years of the 1970s and early 80s.
However, with the release of his solo piano double album, simply titled Piano, on the German Deutsche Grammophon classical label in 2017, all was revealed, aided by his beloved Italian made Fazioli grand piano which sounds glorious.
Something I find odd though, is that on the instrumental credits for Voyage, which number eight musicians in total (not including the choir and orchestra), there is no mention of Björn playing anything. In their heyday, he was always upfront on guitar.
Stylistically, the songs on this recent album are similar to the original ABBA sound, although there are a couple of tracks which have odd, abrupt endings. What I do notice however is a growth in the quality and maturity of the lyrics.
Ode to Freedom and I Still Have Faith In You are two tracks which I think are outstanding, and as a whole, ABBA Voyage is certainly pleasant listening.
First published at Canberra City News, July 19, 2024
(Review copy supplied by Songland Records, Cooleman Court, Weston ACT)
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