I rediscovered some tracks from Ace of Base‘s chart-topping debut Happy Nation/The Sign on my iTunes playlist a few weeks ago and decided to see what the group was up to. Despite having released an album in 2002 called Da Capo, their last US release was 1998’s Cruel Summer, a pop album in sync with the sound of those times. They quite literally dropped of the face of the planet (as far as this side of the Atlantic is concerned) and the once hot band effectively dropped off our collective consciousness.
So when I found out they were releasing a remix of “Wheel of Fortune”, one of the hot singles from Happy Nation/The Sign, I was a bit skeptical. I was a HUGE fan of Ace of Base – how huge? I sang “The Sign” at a talent show when I was nine and sang “Everytime It Rains” from Cruel Summer at my performing arts high school audition. Ace of Base got me into high school, folks. So yes, I loved them.
However a lot has happened in the past ten years in music and in AoB’s life as well. Malin (known as Linn), the strange blonde lead singer, left the group and AoB’s members got, well, old. But “Wheel of Fortune 2009” is a new take on an old idea. AoB’s members Jonas, Jenny, and Ulf left that pop-reggae sound behind and instead opted for the dance/electronic sound popular now. “Wheel of Fortune 2009” lacks the soul and the grittiness the original track had. There is something to be said for those outdated synthesizers they used. And Linn’s low mezzo-soprano voice, with all of its imperfections and sense of urgency, is not found in this track.
I give credit to AoB for trying to reinvent itself because as times change, so do the members, but I do feel they played it safe on this track. “WoF 2009” sounds too edited, too rehearsed – Jenny’s vocals are neither convincing nor take you to the heights that Linn’s did. This is no fault of her own – her voice sounds boring compared to all of the instrumental pyrotechnics going on behind her. You don’t think of her voice and the instruments as complementing one another; in “WoF 2009” the electronic elements are at the forefront and the musicality the vocals bring are left on the backburner. There is no emotion in her rendition. It’s almost as if they said, “Ok Jenny, just sing it straight through, it’ll be fine.” No improv. No riffs here and there. Just sing it and get out of the booth.
Below you’ll find videos to both “Wheel of Fortune 2009” and the original 1994 version. Which one do you like best? You be the judge.
Also: Ace of Base’s Greatest Hits album will be released on November 14th. Essential for any AoB fan. Sure it sounds very 1990s, but their earlier hits remain brilliant even with all the time that’s passed. AND I AM SO HAPPY THEY ARE BACK ON THE SCENE!!
Wheel of Fortune 1994:
Wheel of Fortune 2009:
Bixo, signing out.
WOF 2009 had me for the first minute, then they over used the vocoder and i was sort of turned off. they definitely overused it, but i have to admit im curious to see what the new AOB has up their sleeve.
i agree with you on both points. at least they are getting their creative juices flowing, i reckon, but if they throw that vocoder out i wouldn’t hold it at ALL against them. they are scheduled to release their album of new material next year, so who knows? i’m hoping they blow me away.
I agree with both points. Even though Kookookjew had to explain to me what a vocoder is. Her voice really just blends with the beats. Might as well have just used a computer but I guess they had to attach an artist to the song right? The synths are really cool too. I like the overall tone of the song. If this was just an instrumental I’d still be into it. In fact, I’d like to hear it. If they’re not producing their own stuff, whoever is is pretty talented. I still want to hear what else they have going on but I think that’s because this is AOB. Such high expectations… don’t let us down! We want to see the sign again! (That was cheesy I know 🙂 )