We have had a chance to get hold of a copy of the album 'A' by Agnetha. For the past few days we were not able to listen to anything else than this record. It has a seventies feel, but with modern day effects and production. Agnetha's voice sounds fantastic. It has not aged a bit. Agnetha recorded many great solo songs and albums and this is right up there with the very best!
'The one who loves you now', this is the song that started the whole collaboration. "When we had this one and pulled it off with Agnetha, we knew which way to go", says co-producer and arranger Peter Nordahl in the radio special. If we had not heard the whole record this song would have worried us because this is obviously not at all a modern song, let alone a hit record. (why oh why did Universal Germany pick this one as a single ??) It is nice and well produced and well sung, but almost schlager and a little corny.. Next please..
'When you really loved someone' is a brilliant song and first single. It has the delightful honor to fail all over Europe. Why? The video is great, but it took Universal way too long to release in a regular cd-format of the single and even the downloads were not available everywhere. Let alone the promotion, it sucked big time! Thank you Universal. So what now, is all over? Was this the best single choice? Is all lost? As great as this track is, there is more and even better to come!
'Perfume in the breeze' is a light pop song that will get you through the warmest day in the summer. It is so smart and has fantastic guitar riffs and a clever punchline when the refrain comes to the title..perfume... in the breeze.. What a night, what a night Agnetha sings.. What a song we say! This is Let is shine part two... but then much better and sunnier..
We had tears in our eyes when we first listened to 'I was a flower'. Agnetha is in top form .. She sings "I blossomed by your side, I followed you, you were everything to me. But now you walk right through me, like I'm an empty ghost, right when I needed you most' Oh, this is very vulnerable and fragile but strong and forceful at the same time. The melody of the song is great.. ABBA-like..very much Agnetha too. It starts with light piano and builds up to a big chorus. Maybe a bit over the top..but we love a little drama, don't we? Agnetha pulls it off. This for sure is a highlight.
'I should have followed you home' ... 'All this time what have you done' sings Gary Barlow to Agnetha. Agnetha says they recorded the song separately as she was on holiday when Gary came to Sweden to record his vocals. So what she has done, he still does not know. But that does not matter. The voices sound so well together. This is the best duet Agnetha has ever done. By far! Not some cheesy melody or romantic shit, but a real uptempo pop tune. It starts slow but you can feel the tension rising right from the start. Great chorus. The only downer is that fact that right in the middle of the song it goes back to a slow build-up again. This works very well for the song and on the album, but will prevent it from becoming a hit we fear. Let's hope we are wrong, cause the song truly is very nice indeed, if only it is for the very clever ABBA-ish backing youhoo, youhoo's by Agnetha in the chorus. Magic!
'Past forever' 'If I can make a difference in your time'..we hear Agnetha almost whisper in our ear. We are back to a cheesy part.. a bit. But we love it! 'It is not the destination, it is the journey', Agnetha sings.. and what a journey this has been so far. This song is a ballad that has a Westlife feel. A bit Irish, a bit folk influence. Clever use of instruments.. such a rich production. Lush and lovely. This is Agnetha's ABBA voice singing, instantly recognizable.
'Dance your pain away' Discolights, dancing boots, sparkling dust... this is the real stuff we are looking for. This is more disco than ABBA has ever been by the way. Gay? Maybe, but why not. This has an edge, spice...and is sooooo clever. We love the bridge.. 'He's got nothing, he's got nothing, he's got nothing.. on youhoo, on youhoo'. Great! If pushed correctly by Universal with a real disco clip (think of Kylie) and some true promotion in the clubs and on the radio..THIS IS THE HIT!
'Bubble' For Agnetha this is her favorite song on the album. It is very special indeed. It has a jazz feel to it. It is very uplifting, but has a sad undertone. Melancholy, that is the word. George Michael ' Jesus to a child' comes to mind. Magic from Agnetha is based in a few words in this song La,la,la,la,la,la.. Fantastic!
'Back on your radio' Childish pop tune that starts of with a kind of old fashioned radio commercial tune which actually turns out to be the chorus. It has some nice parts, the build up is nice but all in all..the least attractive song on the album.
'I keep them on the floor besides my bed'. Is this 'I'm still alive', part two? It is a well written love song by Agnetha herself. Some say this is the best song on the album. It has a Burt Bacharach feel to it. A bit of The Carpenters perhaps...and a lot of Agnetha from the old days. In the radio special producer Jorgen explains that he wanted to cherish the old seventies feel of the song. Agnetha herself reveals that she tends to write songs that are too sweet and so she loves the clever George Harrisson guitar intermezzo here and there in the song. We like the fact that the song starts as if Agnetha is singing through the telephone.. the effect returns (again cleverly done!) in the middle of the song. It is this construction that makes it very much the heart of ABBA, but it is the melody and the singing that give you the shivers down your spine.
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