ABBA returns and the magic evaporates
Published on
Unsurprisingly, ABBA’s new album – the first of unreleased songs after 40 years of silence – has placed itself at the top of sales in the world. In France alone, nearly 40 00 copies (including nearly 6 00 vinyls) in one week, which ensures, by the end of the year of platinum ( 100 000 sales) and probably more. Well packaged, the case seduced the Anglo-Saxon press. One wonders why. This “Voyage” has a hard time resuscitating the magic of heroic times when “Mamma Mia” or “Dancing Queen” made bodies and heads spin.
The start with ” I still have faih in you “nevertheless augurs well for the best. The voices of Anni-Frid and Agnetha are there, intact and as charming as ever. As for the pop lyricism of Björn and Benny, it seems not to have aged a bit.
The rest is less glorious. Apart from the very lively “No doubt about it”, everything is terribly banal even downright silly (“Little things”, terrible Christmas carol with children’s choir; “Just a notion”, rock planted in the years 60; “Bumblebee”, syrupy ballad).
The production work is impressive but the machine runs empty, quickly causing boredom . As long as we are nostalgic to the end, let’s come back to the unsinkable compilation “Abba Gold” which, you know, also takes the head of sales of reissues.
