Funky Abba - Nils Landgren Funk Unit (The) > Reviews > Abba Funked Up

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Gets your toe tapping
Disadvantages:	Jazz AND Abba? Will you have any street cred left?

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I think it's fair to say that even the most ardent Abba fan could never claim that the band is, was, or will be, cool. But what the Swedish supergroup did manage was to create some incredibly catchy, and suprisingly technical, music, with Benny and Bjorn realising early on that success was more of a possibility if they left the fronting of the band to the less photogenically challenged Agnetha and the other one. And so the copycat cover version was spawned. Copycat beget television tribute show, and tribute show beget hugely popular stage show. What all of these dopplegangers had in common was that, in the end, they were all the same. The same songs, done the same way, but worse than originally.

And then came Nils Landgren and his Funk Unit. Landgren is a stunningly good jazz musician and normally has at least one 'cover' on each of his albums. But having seen the theme tune to The Streets of San Francisco and Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive given the jazz funk treatment, it was still a surprise to find an entire album devoted to new versions of Abba classics.

I must admit, it was with trepidation that I first plugged my headphones in, expecting corny renditions of already corny tunes. What I got instead was a fantastic surprise as the funky beats all but obscured any reference to previous incarnations. That's not to say that all Abba influence is lost entirely - most notably the chorus lines of Super Trouper and Gimme, Gimme, Gimme make you realise just what you are listening to.

I've been a fan of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit for some time, from albums full of upbeat, swing-like numbers, to those with a laid-back, ballad feel, they are all extensively musical, chock-full of a pounding brass section. But even I realise that this album, as well as being one of the most fun, with the most toe-tapping rhythms, is the most accessible for those who haven't yet discovered the brilliance of jazz-funk.

And Benny Andersson even makes a guest appearance on a bonus track.

Track listings:

money, money, money
knowing me, knowing you
voulez-vous
thank you for the music
super trouper
summer night
gimme! gimme! gimme!
name of the game
dancing queen
take a chance on me
sos
when all is said and done