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ABBAlicious
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ABBAlicious , produced by Don Dilego, Figjam Entertainment; And So Here , Bill Budd, Independent release Abba was one of the favorite pop bands of the 1970s, and their untimely but, in a way, predictable breakup in the early 80s saddened fans all over the world. Their songs, however, remain with us, and every now and then these return to us in different forms. A few years ago, the musical Mamma Mia opened on Broadway after becoming a hit in London's West End, using the Swedish group's hits, which, in a way, reminded us once more just how much we loved Abba's music.
Cast of ABBAlicious
Come Summer 2004 and we're seeing (hearing, actually) an unusual spin on those hits with the release of ABBAlicious, a collection of New York's most popular drag performance classics with new renditions of favorites. When I first heard about this CD from a music publicist, I thought it would sound somewhat glittery, but was surprised to see that the performers took their job with utter seriousness, ultimately delivering interpretations that very often sound surprisingly fresh. Take, for example, The Winner Takes It All, a song that exposes true feelings about the breakup of one of Abba's couples. On this version, Cashetta gives us a fully heartfelt performance that though it sounds close to the original recording, preserves the singer's own performing style. The vocals are so honest one would assume that the singer herself is rebounding from heartbreak. I also liked Super Trouper. In the original, the bumpy disco arrangement completely overshadowed the words, which tells of a tired superstar who is happy and relieved just to know that her lover will be in the crowd that night. This time around, Betzy delivers the song as a Broadway-style ballad that makes one pay attention to the beauty of the lyrics. The country-and-western version of Dancing Queen by The Chixsie Dix is a hoot. Granted, there's the silly introduction (they tell the story of a dance queen in the fictional town of Pigeon Tit, Tennessee), and, thankfully, the chit-chat is on a separate track. The song is one of the album's best moments, topped only by Yolanda's poignant, larger-than-life acoustic-blues treatment of Lay All Your Love On Me - a track that repeatedly gives me goose bumps. There are some duds, however. Mamma Mia, featuring all performers, doesn't sound as much fun as it should and one ends up weary of it after multiple hearings. June Bug's Money Money Money is a bit forced if you ask me. In addition to that, one misses a remake of Fernando. I did like, though, the Go-Go treatment given to Waterloo (performed by Edie) and Joie Starr's modern-ish pop take on S.O.S. Too bad that ABBAlicious was not a DVD release, for the visuals would have definitely complemented the album's solid sound. But then that might come later, who knows?
I responded heartily to the title track, a song of heartbreak that has intriguing keyboard arrangements alongside a solid beat and the clever use of multi-tracked vocals (present throughout the album). I also enjoyed the U2-meets-Moby-meets-80s Queen Trying Here, the sole song not written by Budd. This song, written by Drae Campbell, Tim and Matt Korahais features hot guitar licks by Jim Budd, and Bill Budd seems to sing with greater freedom and assurance than in the album's other songs. Your Shadow is a romantic ballad whose lyrics seem to have been inspired by the aftermath of 9-11 I can still see the day I became your shadow lights and stars blurring days and years o many people lost inside your fears and still feels you blame yourself. The protagonist seems to be talking to someone suffering survivor's guilt, unable to shake a deep loss. The best moment in the CD is definitely Everything. The piano fills the song well, alongside the string arrangement that completes the heartfelt vocals that speak of a relationship in which one of the two lovers is reluctant to communicate his feelings even though he still expects his partner to remember "everything". The song sounds unfinished as the listener expects to hear more words - but for sure that's exactly what Budd wants - to make us realize how incomplete he feels himself. I can fully recommend both albums, which will surely be rich additions to anyone's CD collection. |
 
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Bill Budd © 1997-2009 BEI
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