ABBA - Voyage
Pop – Released November 5, 2021 – 10 songs, 37 mins
LUNDI
ABBA are nothing short of iconic. 40 years since breaking up and their hits are still played everywhere. A personal jukebox favourite band. Their worldwide pull is stronger than ever and finally at long last they have released new music with their ninth studio album Voyage.
Voyage is mostly fan service. Like a favourite athlete signing a one day contract with his breakout team or a pinnacle TV show creating a follow up feature film. None of the tracks on Voyage will replace any of ABBA Gold’s greatest hits and this certainly won’t be the album you point to when selling a friend on the band but what it does is mostly entertain their long time fans. While this might not be the end for the band, it certainly did the job of filling a 40 year musical void.
The problem with full on fan service is the mediocrity that comes with it. ABBA didn’t reinvent their disco fueled harmonies with the album and that results mostly in leaving no real impact at all. Maybe asking anymore of them isn’t fair, but without direction or motivation it’s hard to ever really get excited.
Leaving my quote in the hands of Benny Anderson this week. “What is there to prove? They’ll still play Dancing Queen”.
Overall Rating: 7.0/10
Favourite Song: Don’t Shut Me Down
ROZ
Dancing Queen. Take A Chance On Me. Waterloo. SOS. Mamma Mia. Knowing Me Knowing You. Fernando. Gimme Gimme Gimme. Chiquitita. The Winner Takes It All. All hits, all classics.
Let’s get this out of the way right now: I am a huge ABBA fan and have been since my mom introduced me to them back when I was a wee lad. In my friend circle my fandom is a well-known fact, and there isn’t a jukebox that is safe whenever I have a few drinks in me. My usual move would be to hit the machine enough so that the bar would find itself serenaded by four or five repeats of Dancing Queen – the first playthrough would always be enjoyed by all, the second time would be funny and, well, much less funny and eventually to the patron’s horror and dismay shortly after the third or fourth time. Oh, ABBA – with such a dense assortment of quality hits from your heyday, will Voyage capture that same magic and gift the world (and especially me) with more jukebox bangers? This is by far the most nervous I’ve been for an album since Too Sweet Reviews began.
Before the release of the album in its entirety, ABBA released two singles in I Still Have Faith In You and Don’t Shut Me Down, which along with Just A Notion definitely carry the weight of Voyage on their shoulders. I Still Have Faith In You is a slow ballad thats lyrics reflect not only the band members feelings about this new venture, but also every ABBA fan's thoughts and feelings as well; hoping that the spirit and essence of the band can still be captured so many years later. Glimpses of this spirit shine in Don’t Shut Me Down, with its powerful piano arrangement harnessing the energy of Arrival’s Dancing Queen. The album is at its peak now as we work our way into Just A Notion, a fantastic track that was recorded in 1978 but didn’t quite make the cut at the time for Voulez-Vous. Unfortunately, other than a few moments in I Can Be That Woman and Keep An Eye On Dan, the rest of the songs on Voyage are simply forgettable and the added Christmas song Little Things is a total abomination (much like the snowman itself).
After turning down one billion dollars in the early 2000’s (a number that would make Dr. Evil himself pick up a guitar and go on tour), it leaves one to wonder why they came back to complete a full album at all... it’s been forty years! Have they lost a couple of steps? Undoubtedly. Time waits for no one and no matter how good a band is and how good the production team is, the vocal performances will begin to falter as the years go on. With that being said, Voyage is a fun, nostalgic album by a legendary band that no one expected to hear from again. If anything, this album is hopefully the bridge that new fans will use to journey into the massive catalogue that ABBA has built throughout their successful career. As a diehard fan, that thought alone makes me very happy.
Overall Rating: 6.6/10
Favourite Song: Don't Shut Me Down
REID
ABBA is widely known as one of the most successful musical acts of all time and have the record sales to prove it. They released 8 albums from 1973-1981 and had 48 (!) hit singles. Incredible. Formed as two couples, Agnetha with Bjorn and Anni-Frid with Benny, their divorces are largely to blame for the group’s split.
If I’m lucky enough to live seventy years on this planet, I’ll be relaxxxxed in those later years. Hard chillin. Maybe 40 years was enough for the Swedish foursome. At the ripe ages of 76 (x2), 74 and 71, Voyage is their first studio album since 1981. Reuniting to relive the glory days, pad their children’s bank accounts and give fans new music is admirable.
I’m just gonna get this outta the way… Voyage has a CHRISTMAS SONG on it. And not at the end as a bonus or something… song NUMBER THREE! ABBA has broken barriers in the music industry but for the love of all things sacred, this is not a trend to set. It’s even more surprising to see from a classic pop group who spawned in the vinyl era. What do we do with this in March, Anni-Frid?? It’s a big complication error and absolutely affected the rating.
Aside from that, the listening experience leaves a lot to be desired. The women lead the way on vocals, proving age is just a number. But the slower songs are boring and other than Don’t Shut Me Down and Just a Notion, the rest lack jam. Not much to get excited about.
Fans are encouraged to give Voyage a shot as a couple songs give their catalog a jolt of nostalgia. I hope superfan-Roz loves it. Otherwise.. it’s bad and I’m happy to delete.
Overall Rating - 5.5/10
Favourite Song - Don’t Shut Me Down