Search - Various Artists :: ABBAlicious

ABBA-MAZING!

Jed Ryan | New York City | 02/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
ABBA hit it big with "Waterloo" in 1974... and went on to become the most commercially successful pop group of the '70's. The popularity of the Swedish quartet has endured throughout the years and shows no signs of stopping. Why? For starters, ABBA's songs were just so damn catchy. Their hits sound just as good in 2004 as they did years ago. But in addition, ABBA-- Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida-- were dynamic performers who knew how to connect with their audience. Twenty years after Sweden's greatest import broke up as a band, ABBA's music is still alive and well. ABBA music played an important role in the gay-favorite cult flicks "Muriel's Wedding" and "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". The group "Bjorn Again" have been hugely successful as ABBA imitators. Erasure, in 1992, released a four-song EP called "ABBA-esque" with covers of ABBA songs, including "Take A Chance on Me." Ace of Base, another Swedish quartet who hit their peak in 1994, were clearly influenced by ABBA. And "Mamma Mia," the hottest ticket on Broadway, is a musical based on ABBA songs. Why does ABBA have such a big gay and drag following? Perhaps the group's theatrical shows, which incorporated pageantry and fabulous costumes, had something to do with it. As one ABBA fan told me, "Back in the 70's, you couldn't go to the gay bars without hearing ABBA!" Even today, giving "Dancing Queen" a spin at a gay club is a guaranteed way to get everyone excited-- and on the dance floor!



Fans of both ABBA and drag will have a new reason to get excited with "ABBAlicious", the newest celebration of ABBA's timeless appeal. From FigJam Entertainment and produced by Don "Donnie D." DiLego, "ABBAlicious" is a 14-song compilation of ABBA songs reworked by nine popular New York City drag stars. But don't expect just 14 note-for-note covers of ABBA's hits. And don't expect just 70 minutes of continuous, probing "thump, thump, thump"-style rhythms which drown the voices of the performers. This ain't just dance music! What you CAN expect is, first off, a wide variety of genres: everything from R&B (Sade Pendarvis), to country-western (The Chixie Dix), to a delightfully campy Broadway-syle version of "Super Trouper" by Betzy. The nine featured queens expand ABBA's classics beyond their original interpretation, and the result is impressive. Because each performer puts a different spin on each song, anyone out there who isn't familiar with ABBA (if such a person exists!) may find it hard to believe that all of these tracks were originally done by the same group. Another big surprise comes for listeners who have never heard these girls sing in their natural voices. For example, Cashetta, drag star and comedienne (2002 Glammy Awards' "Entertainer of the Year") who's known more for her magic shows and raunchy humor, gives us "The Winner Takes It All" with a soulful, yearning, appropriately melancholy delivery. It's, dare I say, arguably closer to the lyrics of the song ("I don't wanna talk, About the things we've gone through; Though it's hurting me, Now it's history...") than the original was. She presents a more upbeat sound with a dance version of "Take A Chance on Me". Edie ("Best Drag Queen" 2000 by "HX" Magazine, and 2001 Glammy Award Winner for "Best Dance Artist"), best known by drag affectionadoes for her high-kicking, dynamic dance routines, boasts an enthusiastic, youthful voice. It goes perfectly with her high-energy, Go-Go version of "Waterloo" and, later on, the more mellow, provocative "Chiquitita".





New emotions and musical touches are added with each track on "ABBAlicious". For "Gimme Gimme Gimme", omnipresent drag star Hedda Lettuce (five time "HX" Magazine winner for "Drag Queen of the Year" and three time Glammy Winner) delivers the track not so much as a sex kitten but rather as a sultry, no-nonsense diva making an unambiguous desire for some companionship of the male variety. Perhaps to remind her fans that she's still Hedda Lettuce, she includes an R-rated rap interlude. Sade Pendavis displays her famously sultry, soulful, gospel-flavored voice with "Knowing Me, Knowing You", offering a teasingly restrained taste of her vocal talents. Later on, Sade lets loose with a haunting, piano-and-vocals rendition of "Voulez-vous" that displays why this queen has been so widely praised among cabaret lovers. A real treat on "ABBAlicious" comes with Connie Cat's "Money Money Money", which blends dynamic, 70's-style disco grooves and James Bond-ish musical touches with Ms. Cat's purr-fect high-energy delivery. The result is one of the highlights of the CD. Another highlight comes with Joie Starr's dance/pop version of "SOS", which boasts some impressive piano work alongside glittery electronic musical effects. June Bug delivers "The Name of the Game" ("What's the name of the game, Does it mean anything to you; What's the name of the game, Can you feel it the way I do...") with an awe-inspiringly wide range of vocal depth and emotion-- bolstered by subtle musical touches and background vocals.







Another guilty pleasure on the CD comes with "Dancing Queen". On "ABBAlicious", we get a country-western version, courtesy of the Chixie Dix (two thirds of the popular Dixie Chicks with Dicks): Hedda Lettuce and Yolanda. Drag queens doing country music? Why not?! The result is a truly unique take on ABBA's biggest hit, with Hedda's and Yolanda's smooth voices complimenting each other very well. Yolanda (Outmusic's "Outmusician of the Year" 2003) then goes solo with "Lay All Your Love on Me". The stripped-down, raw feel of the track-- featuring only Yolanda's hard-hitting, strong, Southern-twanged voice with guitar by her friend Robert Urban-- packs a wallop: Yolanda unleashes no less than 20 different emotions with that song. "ABBAlicious" triumphantly closes with a drag "We Are the World": an all-out, no-holes barred rendition of "Mamma Mia" which features the distinctive voices of all nine drag stars.



The beauty of "ABBAlicious" is that none of the 14 songs on the CD deviate too far from ABBA's casual pop appeal. Yet, with its wide variety of musical styles and performances, "ABBAlicious" really gets its listeners to appreciate the diversity within today's gay music scene. It also challenges us to re-think any preconceived notions that we have about drag queens as entertainers. Put "ABBAlicious" on for a spin, and you'll definitely be saying, "Thank you for the music"!

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You only THINK you know these songs!

Douglas Baloy | Montgomery, AL | 11/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once you get over the weirdness of men pretending to be women singing girls' songs, you realize that a LOT of thought went into this album. The arrangements are fresh, and even more important the style of the songs seems to match the lyrics. Did you know that most of these ABBA songs aren't very happy? You will now, because you can actually hear the lyrics.

The best cuts on this album are Yolanda's "Lay All Your Love on Me" (I had to go back to my ABBA Gold to hear the original 'cause this just sounded so right), and "Vouslez Vous". You be the judge. The only near miss on the album is the country-western version of "Dancing Queen", which is still very good, and a lot of fun, but I don't think they went far enough.

I will absolutely buy any other album these "showgirls" put out."