Come on, Frida – you are the best!

A very nice article about Frida by Olle Berggren in Göteborgstidningen/iDAG from  20 July 1992 when she had just appeared on the Artister för Miljö single.

Frida is still the best singer
In the middle of the ABBA-revival Frida pops up again. She does it on a single with Artister För Miljö. Here she once again proves her class. “The best Swedish singer” according to iDAG’s Olle Berggren.

Come on, Frida – you are the best!
It’s now close to ten years since Frida started the recording of her last (?) solo album, “Shine”, with producer Steve Lillywhite in Paris.
     But no singer worthy of taking over the legacy after Frida has emerged on the female pop scene.
     I’m brutally reminded of this when a single from Artister För Miljö comes in the mail.
     By pure incident I let the CD continue to play so the B-side comes through the speakers.
     Frida does Julian Lennon’s “environmental-political” contribution “Saltwater”.
     Oh my God! Where have you been all these years, Anni-Frid!?

SUDDENLY MOST OF the internationally commercial Swedish girl pop pales in comparison. One single artist, who is also part of this environmental project, is Marie Fredriksson. But only in the context of Roxette.
      If Frida hadn’t been “generous” enough to lend her voice to this songs, I would have kept on believing that the most interesting voices were the the ones topping the charts now.
     Eva Dahlgren and Lisa Nilsson.
     Great vocalists in Swedish. But in English? Dahlgren lost all her character on the English language album she recently released. Then there is Louise Hoffsten. But she is more of a R&B singer. Not a pop singer ready for an international career. And of course we have Carola. She has the voice, but has difficulties finding her musical identity. What about Agnetha Fältskog? Yes, but after the international flop with her Peter Cetera-produced album, it now seems she, like Frida, has put her pop career on the shelf.

BUT THEN, THERE she is back again enchanting the listener. Frida, the best voice in Swedish pop history. Not that “Saltwater”, in any way, is powerfull enough to restart Frida’s career. Neither is it intended to do so. But the songs shows what she has to give. On the polarized pop scene with rap and and dance on one side, well produced pop music on the other there is room for a 46 year old vocalist. The timing is also a lot better than it was when Frida started her (international) solo career with Phil Collins in the producer chair. Back then ABBA was a sort of embarrassing reminder of the 70s which wasn’t taken seriously by the more refined pop circle. The group’s status has grown enormously during later years to reach its peak during the summer of 1992. Right now ABBA are celebrated all over the world and has reached the same position in pop history as the Beatles and the Beach Boys. Erasure has released an EP with ABBA-covers and U2 nowadays has “Dancing Queen” on their songlist when they are touring. A collection of songs, maybe a CD-box, is planned for release this fall and in August ABBA’s old classic “Dancing Queen” will be re-released as a single all over Europe. A tribute album is being recorded right now here in Sweden with 12 artists and groups, among them Army Of Lovers with their version of “Hasta Mañana”.

SO, BJÖRN AND BENNY, now that you have finished writing songs for Josefin “Ainbusk” Nilsson’s solo album, please have a look through your drafts and unreleased songs. Maybe there is something that would be suitable for Frida. Yes, and even Per Gessle, who always have been “over writing” songs might have some left over in his drawers at Torsgatan in Halmstad. Then all you have to do is find the right producer and some more song writers. Minor obstacles on the way to a come back. The big problem is of course to convince the artist herself. She has said that she might be willing to go back into the recording studio, if it would help people to become aware of the environmental issues.
“Saltwater” is a part of that plan. The next could be a whole album. Why not call Richard Dashut, the man behind Fleetwood Mac and Lindsey Buckingham’s solo album “Out Of The Cradle”. I asked Buckingham the other night if he is available. “Yes, he is , unless he is going to manage the sound during my tour” said Buckingham.
     Why wait?