When ABBA dropped two singles on Sept. 2 of this year and announced that a studio album would be coming in November, I was ecstatic. I consider myself a pretty dedicated ABBA fan; the \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d soundtrack is my favorite to listen to on road trips, my \u201cBest of ABBA\u201d vinyl is one of the favorites I own, and I know that the band name is an acronym of all the member\u2019s names (fun fact!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I get into the album review portion of this piece, here\u2019s some background information on the band; ABBA is a Swedish pop group that was formed in 1972 by members Agnetha F\u00e4ltskog, Bj\u00f6rn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group found its fame as Sweden\u2019s first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974 with their song \u201cWaterloo,\u201d and they eventually separated in December 1982. In 1999, ABBA\u2019s music was adapted into the musical \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d and a movie of the same name was released in 2008; the sequel, \u201cMamma Mia! Here We Go Again,\u201d was released in 2018. The band has now released nine studio albums. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
ABBA\u2019s new album, called \u201cVoyage,\u201d came out on Nov. 5 and is their first studio album to be released in exactly 40 years, down to the month. There are 10 songs, and the run time of the album is 37 minutes 9 seconds, so it makes for a fairly short listen. The first song, \u201cI Still Have Faith In You,\u201d is a slower-paced piano ballad about the bonds between the band members that have matured and survived over the years. \u201cWhen You Danced With Me\u201d is a nostalgic song about dancing with an old lover, complete with bagpipe instrumentals; it\u2019s my second favorite song on the album. The third song \u201cLittle Things\u201d is about Christmas and holiday cheer, with an outro from a children\u2019s choir, and in my opinion was an odd choice to include in the album. If you\u2019re going to listen to any song off this album though, listen to the next track: \u201cDon\u2019t Shut Me Down,\u201d my absolute favorite from this album. The song begins more orchestral, but bursts into a 70s-esque disco rhythm. This song, about transforming and growing into a new you, is a worthy throwback to ABBA\u2019s old music. \u201cJust A Notion\u201d takes the listener back a couple decades with a more 50s style doo-wop piano and is about that funny feeling you get when you start developing a crush on someone. The sixth track \u201cI Can Be That Woman\u201d is a more sobering addition to the album about a relationship that has soured and the couple realizing that a change needs to happen to make it work. The next song has a serious theme as well; \u201cKeep An Eye On Dan\u201d is about a child of divorce getting dropped off at his dad\u2019s for the weekend and the mom\u2019s reminder for the father to take care of him. Song eight, \u201cBumblebee,\u201d is about, well, a bumblebee in a garden and the gardener\u2019s concern for climate change\u2019s effect on the insect. Electric guitar and funky percussion propel \u201cNo Doubt About It,\u201d my third favorite on the album, which is about picking fights in a relationship when there is no reason to. The tenth and final song \u201cOde to Freedom\u201d features soaring violins and a yearning for true equality and freedom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVoyage\u201d has been my most-listened to album this month, and I hope that you give it a chance and listen through it. Overall, I would rate the album a 7.8. I like almost all the songs, but not many of them remind me of the catchy, still-popular disco ballads that ABBA was known for back in the 70s and 80s. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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