Voyage

by ABBA

Overview

ABBA kind of stumbled their way into Voyage, their first album in 40 years. In 2016, the group began working on ABBAtars, a virtual concert based on the band's blockbuster 1979 tour and featuring 3D renditions of Benny Andersson, Bjoern Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faeltskog, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. Andersson and Ulvaeus decided they should write a couple of new songs for ABBAtars, thinking that if it was going to replicate the experience of an ABBA tour, the group would surely be peddling new material. The two new songs soon turned into three, then into the ten songs that comprise Voyage. Throughout the process, Andersson and Ulvaeus operated under the notion that if a song didn't live up to their standards, they were under no pressure to release it; they already had two songs they liked in the can for ABBAtars. Faeltskog and Lyngstad were happy to participate so long as they didn't have to promote the resulting album, a compromise Benny and Bjoern happily accepted. And that's how ABBA wound up with Voyage, an album that uncannily sounds and feels like a classic ABBA album, one that could've been delivered not long after The Visitors. Andersson and Ulvaeus wisely decided to not follow any stylistic trend or adopt any modern production technique; while there may be some digital gloss here, voices aren't auto-tuned and rhythms aren't sequenced. Voyage is recognizably ABBA music, a quality that's simultaneously thrilling, disorienting, and a bit corny. Andersson and Ulvaeus managed to revive the big, dramatic melodies that defined a good portion of their catalog -- the way the opening ballad "I Still Have Faith in You" soars can cause goosebumps of recognition -- and they do convincing nods at their lighter, danceable moments on the singles "Don't Shut Me Down" and "Just a Notion," yet they also offer reminders of their Eurovision origins with the overheated showstopper "I Can Be That Woman" and vaguely ominous, vaguely disco "Keep an Eye on Dan." Moments like these are quite remarkable, as it feels like ABBA have continued without missing a step, but the retro vibes are also apparent on such stilted pieces of cheese as the stately "Bumblebee" and "Little Things," a sticky trifle made stickier by the presence of an overbearing children's choir. Such missteps prevent Voyage from being a triumph, yet they are true to the rest of ABBA's catalog, so, in a sense, they're welcome. If ABBA didn't have cheeseball moments, they wouldn't be ABBA, so it's reassuring that the group brings the lows along with the highs on this unexpected and delightful album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/05/2021
Label:	Capitol
UPC:	0602438614813

Album Credits

Performance Credits

ABBA   Primary Artist
Thomas Ebrelius   Violin
Paer Grebacken   Flute,Clarinet,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)
Tinnie Klemmer Domonkos   Vocals (Background)
Clara Helen Gaudet   Vocals (Background)
Magnus Franzen   Horn
Anni-Frid Lyngstad   Vocals
Agnetha Faeltskog   Vocals
Jannika Gustafsson   Violin
Advika Anilkumar   Vocals (Background)
Hanna McMillan   Vocals (Background)
Iiris Kaivonen   Vocals (Background)
Kieran Gillani   Vocals (Background)
Alisa Drobina   Vocals (Background)
Bjoern Olsson   Horn
Per Lindvall   Drums,Percussion
Benny Andersson   Piano,Vocals,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Bjoern Ulvaeus   Vocals
Elemer Lavotha   Cello
Christina Wirdegren Alin   Cello
Margareta Bengtson   Harp
Patrik Swedrup   Violin
Goeran Arnberg   Piano,Conductor,Orchestra
Johan Ahlin   Horn
Lasse Wellander   Guitar
Fred Lindberg   Cello
Andrej Power   Violin
Daniel Migdal   Violin
Joergen Sandlund   Viola
Jonna Inge   Viola
Daniel Frankel   Violin
Kristina Ebbersten   Violin
Ylva Magnusson   Violin
Mats Englund   Bass
Oscar Treitler   Violin
Andreas Lavotha   Cello
Louise Agnani   Cello
Albin Uusijarvi   Viola
James Opie   Viola
Danial Shariati   Violin
Henrik Naimark   Violin
Vidar Andersson Meilink   Viola
Andrej Nikolajev   Violin
Sara Buschkuhl   Double Bass
Stockholm Concert Orchestra   Orchestra
Mattias Normell   Double Bass
Josef Cabrales-Alin   Cello
Lasse Jonsson   Guitar
Anna Wallgren   Cello
Kimberley Akester   Piano,Conductor,Choir Director
Peter Axelsson   Viola
International School Of Stockholm Choir   Voices
Jan Bengtsson   Flute,Sax (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Bernard Loehr   Programming,Live Sound Engineer,Mixing,Engineer,Pro-Tools
Paer Grebacken   Engineer
Bjoern Ulvaeus   Composer,Producer,Associate Producer
Anneli Thompson   Assistant
Baillie Walsh   Design
Benny Andersson   Mixing,Arranger,Composer,Producer,Programming
Goerel Hanser   Coordination
Bjorn Engelmann   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Linn Fijal   Assistant Engineer
Vilma Colling   Assistant Engineer