Voyage [Deluxe 1CD ECO Box]

What an experience. What a feeling to be able to listen to a brand new ABBA record in 2021.Firstly, this album isn’t cutting edge or ground breaking. Don’t expect modern reinvention. But it’s not trying to do that. There’s a self-aware element running under this album. All 4 members clearly wanted to make something timeless and ageless. This is an album that ABBA have made because they love to make music. It very much feels like a “thank you and goodnight” moment, a way for the members to put some closure on their ABBA career whilst also letting it continue in their fans lives. As such, it’s full of little nods to the past. This is an album for the love of ABBA and ABBA fans - not for the critics.“I Still Have Faith In You” still makes me quite emotional. For many years, the 4 band members were quite dismissive of their ABBA years, or possibly overwhelmed by it all.“We have a story, and it survived”. It’s both the gratitude and amazement in the delivery of that line. Gets me everytime. Cause you know that they thought they were done and discarded for so many years, I find it really heartwarming that they’re finally comfortable with it all and can actually be proud of what they did and enjoy it. It would have been even better had the song opened with a fade in of the crowd applause like in the video. That would’ve been a wonderful way to open the album, a nod to the new Voyage live show and also a throwback to “The Way Old Friends Do”.“When You Danced With Me” is a great track. Clearly Irish influenced but with a typical ABBA twist. The melody reminds me of “Arrival”. They’ve not really done anything like this. It’s a big track, quite loud, but that gives it this really unique atmosphere. Like your stood out in the sweeping Irish countryside when you listen to it. Wonderful to hear them try something new at this stage of their career. The joint vocal by Agnetha and Frida is just wonderful too.“Little Things” manages to combine 2 things I hate. Christmas and children’s choirs. BAH HUMBUG. Having said that, whilst I don’t think this is a song I will listen to often, it has a timeless quality too it. Like an old Christmas standard that families would sing around the piano on Christmas Day. It’s quite a warm little song, very sweet. It’s feels more like a poem though, there’s no real chorus too it. A pop song it ain’t.“Don’t Shut Me Down” is an instant ABBA classic. It’s like the sequel to “One of Us” with a bit of “If It Wasn’t For the Nights” thrown in for good measure. The second chorus is so euphoric and probably my favourite moment on the album. A great characterisation performance from Agnetha too. She has such a unique way of making you feel what she’s singing, and though her voice has lowered over the years, she hasn’t lost that magic ability to pull you in. I would not have been surprised if this was a leftover from the 1982 sessions that gave us “Under Attack” and “I Am The City” either.“Just A Notion” I didn’t like as a stand along single and I’m still a bit miffed that they re-used 1978 vocals on a 2021 album. Having said that I enjoyed it a lot more in context with the album. I think it’s a fun song, and it really injects that into the album. It’s needed too, as some of the subject matter on the back end of the album is quite serious.“I Can Be That Woman” is quite a harrowing tale of alcoholism and domestic abuse. I thought with all the dog references that I would hate it but again, Agnetha really draws you into the story. One of the lyrically darkest songs I think they’ve done, but very clever. At first, you think the woman is the victim in the story, until the second version when you realise she knows they’ve both had a part to play in this situation and she’s calling time on their negative behaviour. Really love this one.“Keep An Eye On Dan” is a bit of an 80’s throwback musically and great example of Agnetha & Frida taking some slightly naff lyrics and making it something special. Again, quite a dark tale about a divorced couple, and one of the couple meets someone new, and that effect on the child. Great little nod to “SOS” at the end too. The drums in the chorus seem a bit off for some reason though - quite “unsmooth”? Like they’re not really gelling with the rest of the track. It could have done with a smoother drum take, to give it more of a slick “Lay All Your Love On Me” type sound. The verses are incredible though.“Bumblebee” has an amazing vocal by Frida. She sounds so strong here. The song is folky, I can hear a bit of a nod to “Fernando” in it and some of the earlier ABBA tracks from the first album. It didn’t jump out at me at first but it’s growing on me. Again - the serious subject in a polished song - this one is about climate change.“No Doubt About It” - what a great pop rock track. This wouldn’t sound out of place on Frida’s “Shine” album. You can hear in her vocal delivery that she’s really having fun with it too. This would’ve made a great single.“Ode to Freedom” sounds like ABBA doing Enya, with a touch of “Like An Angel Passing Through My Room” thrown in for good measure. Great atmosphere although the vocal is a bit buried in the mix and it’s hard to decipher the lyrics at times. It also ends quite abruptly - I sort of wish it had a bigger, longer outro to really send us off into the future so that the voyage really never ends, but a beautiful song nonetheless.Overall a really wonderful album. Does it really reach the heights of their original run? No. But it’s certainly better than their low’s (I’m looking at you, “I Saw It In The Mirror”). Also, this is not an album made by people in their 20’s and 30’s either. Don’t go in expecting to hear “Voulez-Vous” or “Dancing Queen”. But it’s a very beautiful way of rounding off ABBA nicely. More proof that their music will truly never die, and thank good for that! The world needs ABBA. Overall rating 8/10.

CD and LP playing time: 37m 11s.I've been listening (and loving) ABBA since the mid-70's. This LP has everything an ABBA LP should have. And that's a varying style from song to song.I'm going to keep each description to a minimum.The songs:I STILL HAVE FAITH IN YOU... anthemic. The first single from Voyage. Sounds like it could have been from CHESS.WHEN YOU DANCED WITH ME... folk, but with pop. Take away the "pop" sound and this could have been on RING RING.LITTLE THINGS... I Have A Dream influenced. A Xmas song that won't bother the download charts in exactly the same way SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS was "Our" secret until the Mamma Mia made it global.DON'T SHUT ME DOWN... the 2nd single. Great pop. Hopeful lyrics (not in a Stairway To Heaven way).JUST A NOTION... more great pop. This has been floating around for decades but needed love and affection to mould it.I CAN BE THAT WOMAN... Great pop.KEEP AN EYE ON DAN... Great pop. Surprisingly the lyrics work and the funky tune is great. And Bjorn leaves us totally in the dark as to who Dan is. All we know is he is male. It is up to us, the listener to interpret the lyrics. Just remember how much controversy The Day Before You Came caused.BUMBLEBEE... ballad. I was not looking forward to this, judging by the title. HOWEVER, listen and read the lyrics. A plea to our ecology.NO DOUBT ABOUT IT... pop/rock (without the rock), confused? Omg, the riff is I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT YOU by the Scorpions (a brilliant German Heavy Metal band). However, ABBA hold off with the Metal, shame really. NB: I grew up to be a Metalhead. Possibly my fave on the LP.ODE TO FREEDOM... a ballad which fails to be anthemic, yet it's still excellent... but 3stars when compared to ANTHEM from CHESS.