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Photo – Industrial, Light & Magic

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ABBA
“Voyage”
(Album Review)

16th November 2021

Review by Sabrina Sutton

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Photo Credit Baillie Walsh

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It’s been called the biggest comeback in pop history. It’s been 40 long years, but ABBA is back with a new ten-track album called Voyage.

Let’s rewind to 1982, when ABBA announced their “break” of an undetermined length of time — two divorced couples, slowly dropping commercial success and diverging musical interests. A reunion seemed unlikely, if not impossible.

Flash forward to September 2nd 2021, and the world has a meltdown. Two new singles, “I Still Have Faith in You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down,” were played to over 200,000 attendees of a global live virtual event, and the countdown to the ‘Voyage’ album began.  

The question I want to ask is, did Abba ever really leave? ‘Greatest Hits’ albums like ABBA Gold (1992) aside, this power quartet’s melodies have been DJs’ go-to bangers for a long time.

My personal experience of ABBA (and bear in mind, I wasn’t even alive when they were together) is rooted in everything from Sunday kitchen singalongs through to unexpected festival remixes that caused me to be beside myself with excitement. A great example of ABBA’s current stronghold on pop culture is French house producer Folamour’s Boiler Room x FLY Open Air 2019 set that went viral across social media. At minute 31:50, when the undeniable prelude of Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) starts to bleed through, the shift in the crowd’s energy is noticeable. But, when the chorus cuts through, the joy is palpable. 

So, how does the group’s ninth studio album, Voyage, compare to its wildly popular predecessors? Are the new songs going to be the next generation of dance bangers? And, most importantly (in my opinion), is there a Mamma Mia 3 in our near future?

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I Still Have Faith in You

(video above)

The (Average) Comeback Anthem

Reflective and musically anthemic – if not a little cheesy – the first song on Voyage is a proud yet truthful nod to the band’s remarkable career and hopeful future. Built around a steady push and pull of building tension paired with an epic power ballad-esque release marked by rolling drums and the grit of an electric guitar, the lyrics tell the story of a group who have gone through a lot and have met with grace on the other side.

Most satisfying about this track is the return of the unmistakable Scandinavian lilt of Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog. Although slightly age-weathered, hearing their voices blend together again brought a sense of peace to ABBA fans, I’m sure.

In short, this song is somewhat of a comeback anthem and, although not my favourite song, there’s no denying that this track is a good re-introduction to one of the most famous pop bands of all time.  

When You Danced with Me

Irish me up, baby

Now, perhaps you were like me and took the use of the word ‘dance’ in the title to mean another banger like Dancing Queen was coming your way. I’m sorry to say that this is not quite it. This Celtic melody inspired ditty is playful, a tad cliché and admittedly a little random.

Full of singable hooks, it tells the age-old story of a country town girl left behind by the boy she loves for the big city. However, if you listen to the lyrics, the overdone lamenting heartbroken girl trope isn’t really there. Instead, you’ll find an underlying cheeky yet bitter “I told you so” vibe that, quite frankly, I appreciate.

Some may carry disdain for ABBA’s choice to include a musical detour to the Irish town of Kilkenny in their long-awaited comeback – calling it self indulgent or off-tone. Personally, I’m a sucker for an Irish jig, and the track certainly doesn’t dilly-dally, keeping to a short and sweet sub-3-minutes. 

Little Things

The Christmas song we did not ask for

If I thought When You Danced with Me felt random, this song shot right past random into “what the heck?” real quick. I’ll be the first to admit that my opinion of this song is greatly influenced by my general dislike of Christmas tunes. But, the sickly sweet lyrics and child-like twinkle aesthetic makes this track feel like the awkward uncle twice removed at a family reunion – no one really likes it, and, quite frankly, it doesn’t need to be there.

Saying that a purposeful Christmas song was the one thing ABBA never got around to doing during their prime, so, for those that felt like they had been cheated – voilà!

Don’t Shut Me Down

(video below)

Back to (ABBA) Basics

Yes! Finally, ABBA has given us some of their trademark sparkle, and I’m here for it. Starting off in true melancholic ABBA fashion with a heavy emphasis on storytelling, the song slides into dance-pop city with a descending piano glissando. The subtle reggae rhythm forces you to groove along while Agnetha’s soprano effortlessly moves above Anni-Frid’s slightly lower mezzo-soprano line, creating that satisfying timbre we know and love.

This tune is full of hooks and places you so comfortably in the determined shoes of someone ready to speak their mind; consequences be damned. So sit down, shut up and let ABBA tell you why it’s time to take them back.

Just a Notion

A Vocal Throwback

Recorded in 1978, this track was just one of the many songs that didn’t make the cut back in the day, and I can hear why. The song, although buoyant and high energy, lacks the magic that ABBA’s older work had. Overall, it doesn’t stand out. However, its position in the tracklist brings Voyage a welcome contrast between the more contemporary pop track Don’t Shut Me Down and the heavily reflective song of I Can Be That Woman.

A huge plus for this song is the unmistakable soaring vocals of a younger Anni-Frid and Agnetha. The original vocals recorded in 1978 were kept, while the instrumental was given a freshen up with newly included drums and guitar.

I Can Be That Woman

A (Possibly) Good Message with a Questionable Execution

ABBA are known for their storytelling. It’s arguably why Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus could almost too easily create a musical out of their greatest hits. This track, however, paints such a clear visual narrative that the listener is practically forced into imagining the events playing out before them like a movie scene.

Is this a good thing? I’m unsure. The song lacks pace, has awkward lyrical phrasing and, depending on how you choose to interpret the lyrics, is a little hmm… let’s say “old fashioned.” For myself, the song attempts to explore a fear that I think many of us have – the fear of never reaching our potential. The fear of waking up one day and not quite recognising the person in the mirror. It’s also a promise to do better. In one way, it hit an achingly vulnerable spot for me. In another, it felt lazy and awkward.

Keep an Eye on Dan

Pop is Back

As soon as the opening synths began to play, I knew I was in for something different with this song. And boy, was I not disappointed. Once again, the lyrics were incredibly literal and a tad awkward but, the musical execution was flawless.

This track is a catchy, electro-coloured number that gives us a glimpse into the inner struggles of co-parenting a child. Keep an Eye on Dan holds the pop melody that will wheedle its way into your brain and keep you humming the same line again and again.

It also gives us an oh-so-satisfying (and much needed) hommage to their earlier work by concluding the song with the unmistakable piano motif from their number #1 hit, SOS (cue Pierce Brosnan).

Bumble Bee

A disappointing Fernando

It starts off with the same flying flutes, strumming guitars and warm synth pads that we all know and love from the hit song Fernando. But, instead of taking us to the Mexican battlefields with a pit stop in groove-city, this song adopts a much more… dulcet timbre.

From what I can discern, this track is ABBA’s acknowledgement of the current climate crisis… not just a song about bees… because that would be weird. Duh.

A part of me respects the dedication to the bee imagery, and the last line does a decent job at summarising the significance of climate change, especially for future generations – “Feeling sad for those who’d never hear the hum of bumblebees”. Purely as a song, on the other hand, it’s easily skippable.

No Doubt About It

A much-needed pick-me-up

ABBA takes us back to a place of good pacing, strong vocal delivery and memorable melodies galore in this absolute tune. It cuts to the point immediately with no extra fluff, thrusting us into the centre of the party with a killer central melodic refrain and dragging us (willingly, might I add) through the infectious energy of the celebrations.

Ode to Freedom

The closing statement

A grand finale that owes a great debt to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Ode to Freedom tricks the ear into a waltz-like trance despite being stretched into a much more pop-friendly 4/4 time signature.  

Softly political, the song’s lyrics foster a tender hope for unification. The low swelling strings paired with ABBA’s trademark harmonic vocal build creates a true-to-nature ending to what really has been a voyage of an album.

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My Final Thoughts

I’ll be honest, this album took me a few listens to gather the patience I needed to appreciate its nuances and to get over my own expectations of what it should have been.

By choosing to return to music, ABBA placed themselves in the direct firing line of … well, everybody. Do they try and pick up where they left off and attempt to write the album that could have come directly after The Visitors back in 1981? Do they attempt to adopt current pop music trends to appeal to the younger masses? How do they encapsulate their time apart while paying respect to their past career together? As Björn Ulvaeus said, Voyage is completely “trend-blind”, and sometimes it worked, and others, it just didn’t.

Overall, this album was a mixture of classic gems, “needs a second listen” tracks and “thanks but no thanks” flops. But, that’s just my opinion. Would I be mad if Keep an Eye on Dan or No Doubt About It came on at a party? No, no I wouldn’t be.

As for whether a Mamma Mia 3 film is in our future… I’ll only accept it if Pierce Brosnan promises to sing in it again.

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Tickets for ABBA Voyage are on sale now from abbavoyage.com.

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About ABBA

With nearly 400 million albums sold worldwide, 17 No. 1 hits and over 16 million weekly global streams, ABBA are one of the world’s most successful music acts of all time.  Ever since their breakthrough with ‘Waterloo’ back in 1974, ABBA’s music has captured the hearts of people all over the world. Today, the songs they created – written and produced by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and interpreted vocally with passion and commitment by Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid “Frida” Lyngstad – are regarded as an important part of the international music canon. In the 21st Century, ABBA are more popular than ever. ABBA Gold, originally released in 1992, recently passed its 1000th week on the UK Album Chart, the first album in history to reach this milestone. Content using the #ABBA hashtag on TikTok recently reached one billion views, without the catalogue officially being available on the platform. ABBA was inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and ‘Dancing Queen’, one of their most beloved songs, was added to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame in 2015.

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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

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Follow ABBA
Website – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram

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Press Release 5th November 2021 (below) HERE

ABBA – “Thank you for waiting…” Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid

The long-awaited studio album
Voyage by ABBA
out 5th November
on Universal Music Group

The ABBA Voyage concert opens
27th May 2022 at the ABBA arena, 
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London

More tickets for the concert are on sale now from abbavoyage.com

LISTEN NOW

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Photo – Baillie Walsh

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AMNPLIFY – DB