Review: Ballads predominate on ABBA’s comeback album
ABBA is back with “Voyage,” its first album since 1981
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.“Voyage,” ABBA (Capitol Records)
A bouncy, synthy beat bridges the decades and brings ABBA into the present.
“You look bewildered,” Agnetha Fältskog sings above the retro rhythm, “and you wonder why I’m here today.”
Well, yes.
ABBA is back with its first album since 1981. While skeptics might ask why, the four Scandinavian septuagenarians decided why not, and “Voyage” does nothing to tarnish their legacy as global hitmakers.
The highlight, “Just a Notion,” comes midway through the 10-song set. A backbeat kicks in, followed by saxophones. The singers leap to a higher register, and pounding piano chords help the arrangement bloom. Sugar rush!
Alas, that brisk tempo is an outlier. Like most of us whose heyday was in the 1970s, ABBA has slowed down.
Ballads predominate on “Voyage,” and the mood is mostly melancholy as Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad sing about relationships, Christmas, freedom and a bee. There are more tunes built for Broadway than for Eurovision, and the entire album contains fewer hooks than 2½ minutes of “Waterloo ”
Even so, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus remain remarkable craftsmen as composers and arrangers, and the vocals of Lyngstad and Fältskog – now pitched lower – still blend beautifully. After more than 40 years of silence, it’s nice to hear.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.