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Metascore
62

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
6.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

  • Summary: Produced by Jörgen Elofsson and Peter Nordahl, the ABBA singer returns with her fifth (English language) solo release.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. The majority of A (clever title, in the context of Faltskog's history) consists of dignified, age appropriate ballads.
  2. May 13, 2013
    60
    With less excessive production and better songs, this could have been an accomplished return--her voice is still there. As it is, we’re picking up some signals, but it requires some real tuning.
  3. May 13, 2013
    60
    Agnetha: still as seductively normal, beautifully boring and enigmatically familiar as ever.
  4. Q Magazine
    May 13, 2013
    60
    While it's genuinely marvellous to hear one of pop's most underrated voices back, you do long to hear material suited to the modern era. [Jun 2013, p.94]
  5. Mojo
    May 20, 2013
    60
    If you crave that ineffable something Abba achieved, then it's only glimpsed here. [Jun 2013, p.84]
  6. Jun 12, 2013
    60
    A has moments of brilliance, so it’s perhaps all the more noticeable when not every song hits the sweet spot.
  7. May 13, 2013
    40
    An Abba fan will hear that Fältskog is in strong voice; the uninitiated will wonder what 90s obscurity is being played for bar trivia night.

See all 9 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Dec 11, 2021
    10
    This is actually a simple but at the same time great album, it makes me chill, happy, and sad at the same time, a great comeback as a solo artist
  2. Jul 19, 2014
    9
    I bought A based on JKM's review and several of the critic reviews here on Metacritic. I agree with most of JKM's review and some of theI bought A based on JKM's review and several of the critic reviews here on Metacritic. I agree with most of JKM's review and some of the critics, except that I feel like Agnetha's voice should have been showcased more throughout the album. The production should have been more bare and simple, for example with guitar and piano only. It is a very beautiful album deserving of a 10, but because of the production I give it a nine. Expand
  3. jkm
    Jun 2, 2013
    9
    MATURE, BEAUTIFUL, GENUINE

    “A” is the perfect fusion of melodic elegance, pop joy, and melancholy, along with “current” production and
    MATURE, BEAUTIFUL, GENUINE

    “A” is the perfect fusion of melodic elegance, pop joy, and melancholy, along with “current” production and arrangement elements. “A” is further a perfectly elevated fusion of Agnetha’s ageless vocals evoking more than ever and better than anyone love, nostalgia and melancholy accompanied by melodies that match the yearning and expressiveness of her voice. The album is instantly catchy without being common, showcasing the Swede’s (Elofsson and Nordahl in this case) mastery of melody ---melodies so good no doubt they could be labeled or confused for “formulaic”.

    Two songs are stand-outs: The One Who Loves You Now, & I Was A Flower

    The One Who Loves You Know Hints of The Carpenters in the melody are present, but it could have been written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus during the 1976 1980 period. That says it all. It has one of those melodies full of melancholy, overwhelming sweetness, and love. It is difficult to overlook the vocal fragility, lightness and perfection with which Agnetha delivers. A brilliant joy of a song. A++

    I Was A Flower This song displays Agnetha's voice in beautifully perfect shape and form, and blows one away by the grand melody and dramatic lyrics. This song could have easily been on ABBA's last and most critically acclaimed album, The Visitors. It is that dark, sad, melancholic, dramatic, intense, and perfect. It has a bitterness that one can almost taste. If you listen carefully and know Agnetha’s voice well, you will notice that there are parts where Agnetha uses her voice like she has never done. I find her voice in this song impeccable: more mature, more bitter, more fragile, and more expressive than even in The Winner Takes It All and The Day Before You Came. I Was A Flower is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. A++

    Perfume in the Breeze This song could have been written for Madonna’s Ray Of Light by William Orbit, but it comes in a lighter and less sophisticated production. Despite Ray of Light being among my all-time-favorite albums, I actually like the fact that Perfume in the Breeze is so light and unpretentious. The first time I heard it I suspected it would be one of my least favorite songs in “A”, but by the second play I was sold. It has a sad lyric with a bright and uplifting melody “a la ABBA’s S.O.S”. I love the carefree joy that the melody evokes. A+

    I Should Have Followed You Home (with Gary Barlow) A grand and gorgeous song full of tenderness, displaying the most “current” sound and production on the album. The melody is pure pop with very slight hints of Coldplay and Tiesto, if you can imagine that mix, but it works! Vocally and melodically it works as well, and it is definitely another winner. A+

    Bubble Accurately described by Agnetha, and her favorite song on “A”, Bubble is no doubt reminiscent of Sade, especially of songs on Lovers Rock. If you listen carefully, you will realize that the melody is also reminiscent of Duran Duran. Simon Le Bon could have easily sang this song, well suited for his range and style. Elofsson and Nordahl (the producers of “A”) do a great job with the production and arrangement that make Bubble feel very Agnetha despite my comparisons. It is a “wow” song displaying more gorgeous vocals by Agnetha, dreamy/ambient-trance/atmospheric-like production, and nostalgic undertones. A+

    I Keep Them On The Floor Beside My Bed This song proves that Agnetha can truly write beautiful songs. Very Beatles-eque/E.L.O-ish, the melody is loving, sweet, soft, and nostalgic, with hints of resignation and peace. It is obvious that Agnetha wrote the melody originally thinking the song would end-up being a children’s lullaby (as she mentioned on a recent interview), but the lyrics work well non-the-less. I can completely hear her craftsmanship and writing style, so much so that if in Swedish, I feel this song could have been on one of her Swedish solo albums, Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus. It is unfortunate that she did not write more songs for this album. Beautiful! A+

    The rest of the songs are Dance Your Pain Away (B+), a fun and irresistibly catchy & camp “disco” tune with potential to be a Dance hit; When You Really Loved Someone (B+), the song chosen as the 1st single, showcasing a great soaring chorus and nice verses and bridge, but something is missing; and two songs that are just OK: Past Forever (C-) and Back on Your Radio (C-).

    6 outstanding songs, 2 great songs, and 2 OK songs not bad!

    To those who may not understand the overall beauty of this album, I leave them with Agnetha’s last words on this album, “Why is love so hard to understand?”
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