Retro Spins: Frida - Shine

During her solo career, Frida produced several albums. However, of them, only two were in English. Her 1982 Something's Going On, produced by Phil Collins, was the first. Her second, today's Retro Spin, 1984's Shine.

Though this follow up album was supposed to also be produced by Phil Collins, scheduling conflicts prevented this from happening. As a result, she turned to Steve Lillywhite for the job. This probably wasn't a bad choice as the end result was definitely a solid 80's sounding album.

With that said, while it nailed the sound of the era perfectly, where Shine falters in hooking you. The music itself grabs your attention. However, the lyrics don't do the same. There are no catchy choruses or soul jerking notes. It's just okay and that's what makes it the most disappointing.

The album title song, Shine, stands out the most. Unfortunately, this is also track number one. As such, the end result is it's downhill from there. Though the album boasts track five, Slowly, as (at the time of its release) the last song written by ABBA alum Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, it's definitely not their best. It sounds like ABBA, but it's not. A rejected B-side at best.

Sadly, this is usually the end result of any one member of a group / band going solo. The sound is familiar. You want to love it, but it just doesn't capture the full magic of what made you "love" that person to begin with. The group. Everyone encompassed together, sharing, and in some cases, fighting for their input on an album is what ultimately results in a finely crafted end result. When you only have one of those members interjecting 100% of their own creative juice, you lose that balance, and that's what's happened here. Frida is a good artist, but with ABBA she's great.

Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.