ABBA Voyage Album Review: Just Released New ABBA Music

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There back! After forty one years ABBA has returned with a new album entitled Voyage. A very appropriate title it seems. It’s hard to believe that this band that was one of the most successful pop music acts in music history have returned with new music after forty one years. That’s a long time. There have been people born and gone to college and have almost retired from teacher jobs in that span. Just think of that. Forty one years in between albums. But why not. We are assuming many old ABBA fans would rather have them back then not. And of course with the return of the group and this whole resurgence among young teens discovering the beauty of holding a record in the hand, it’s possible ABBA is looking to fuel an entire new audience that will pay for their grandkids and great great grandkids education. Well maybe we are getting ahead of ourselves now. We must remember that no one really buys music anymore, they just pay Apple or Spotify $9.99 a month to download as much new music as they want. Nonetheless let’s take a listen to the the new ABBA album.

ABBA’s new album Voyage was just released this week on November 5th 2021. We first announced news about the album two months ago when we wrote a story about their upcoming virtual tour. Yes that’s right, you can go see ABBA in concert in a grand stage show with spectacular lighting and ABBA on stage in beautiful Holograms. At least it’s better than the Wax figures in the feature photo. Just don’t ask them any questions. I don’t think Holograms are able to take requests. Of course the hologram ABBA will most definitely be doing some news songs as the tour is also part of the promotion behind the new album.

We had heard the hologram ABBA will be images of the young ABBA , but I guess it’s possible that the Holgarm ABBA could sing the new songs. They brought back Princess Leia in Star Wars with new dialogue, so why not ABBA?

All four original members of ABBA are back for their new album, They include Agnetha Fältskog on vocals, Anni-Frid Lyngstad on vocals Björn Ulvaeus on vocals and Benny Andersson on vocals and keys. Both Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson composed all the songs on the album as well as co-producing the record. Other musicians that perform on the record include Jan Bengtson on baritone saxophone and flute, Mats Englund on bass, Pär Grebacken on clarinet, Per Lindvall on drums, Margareta Bengtson on harp and Lasse Jonsson and Lasse Wellander in guitars

The Voyage album contains ten pretty short songs as the album clocks in at around thirty seven minutes. A pretty typical album length for most albums that were released in the 1970s. This one should sound pretty good on vinyl as they don’t have to crush all those grooves too tight together while also being able to release it as a single LP. Hopefully it will be priced fair as new vinyl prices can be ridiculously overpriced.

Voyage opens up with the track “I Still Have Faith In You.” This great album opener was actually released two months ago on September 2nd 2021 as a preview of the new album. Instead of opening with a big time dance track like a “Dancing Queen,” or a “S.O.S.” the band opened the record with a power ballad that starts out slow and builds to a powerful crescendo, The video looks back at the group over the years in a sentimental way. ABBA fans will eat this one up. It’s as song that pretty much says “yup it’s not over yet.

On the album’s second track the group speeds the temp0 up a little with the very gaelic sounding “When You Danced with Me.” It’s a fun one that is very nationalistic sounding. The band delivers another ballad on the next track titled “Little Things,” with a holiday spirit attached as they sing about a lovely Christmas Morning and all the children’s toys and the joy that Santa brings. There is even a children’s choir that sings on the track. The albums fourth track “Don’t Shut Me Down was also released as a single back in September. This is a joyous mid tempo pop nugget that recalls the glorious sound of ABBA that all fans of the band loved. This is the best track so far on the record at this point.

The fifth track on the album entitled Just a Notion” is another up-beat ABBA tune with a swinging 50s style groove that is fueled by those vocals that ABBA fans just couldn’t get enough of. Their voices still sound just as good as they did in the 1970s. If you were to hear this one on the radio you would think it was from one of their 1970s albums. It’s at this point where you start thinking that this is an album that is going to get a lot of spins in the car cd player. Come on, most of us in our 60s who are buying this album still have cd players.

Just like a coming attraction that shows just too much of the movie we don’t want to give the rest of the album away. We will just say that the album has gone way beyond expectations and that ABBA fans are going to be insanely happy when they hear this one. If only the group was actually touring in the flesh then that would have completed the return to the 1970s that this album brings to all of old fans.

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