Search - Agnetha Faltskog :: Eyes of a Woman

Great solo album from ex-Abba star

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 11/01/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Agnetha's producer on this album is Eric Stewart, who had previously been a member of the Mindbenders in the sixties and 10cc in the seventies. He wrote two songs (I won't be leaving you, Save me why don't you) and co-wrote another (I won't let you go) with Agnetha. The album also includes songs by Jeff Lynne (One way love) and Justin Hayward (The angels cry, with Justin playing guitars on the track). There is an eighties feel to the album but the synthesizers never take over (though they come close to doing so occasionally, notably on Click track) - the focus is always on Agnetha's outstanding voice. Of course, this makes it impossible to listen to the album without hearing echoes of Abba and that may be a distraction to some people.



Whereas Agnetha's previous solo album (Wrap your arms around me) had yielded three minor UK hits, no singles from this album made the UK charts although I assume that some did in other European countries. Nevertheless, there are many excellent tracks here, especially the first five (One way love, Eyes of a woman, Just one heart, I won't let you go, The angels cry) and the last two (I keep turning off lights, We move as one).



This album is unlikely to appeal to anybody who doesn't like Abba, so don't worry about this until you've got a significant collection of Abba music. If you enjoy Abba's music enough to be interested in exploring further, you might enjoy this album although not all Abba fans love this album as much as I do."

Not her strongest effort ...

Søren Karlskov Jensen | Sweden | 11/09/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Agnetha has said that she's no longer very pleased with her post-ABBA solo albums, and upon listening to this 1985 offering, you can understand why she has later said that "some of the songs don't feel nearly as convincing now as they did back then". Back in '85 I had high hopes for this album when I first heard the flagship single I Won't Let You Go. Co-penned by Agnetha, this was a strong pop tune with great hooks, but I recall being immensely disappointed by the album. Even though some of the songs are in fact not that bad, the album generally suffers from a very sterile sound and an overblown 80s production that hasn't aged very gracefully. As another reviewer has also noted, it is a major problem that most of the songs are cut in a low key that doesn't suit Agnetha's voice very well - she's best in her high registre - that's where her voice really got to shine on ABBA's recordings. She probably comes closest in the ballads The Angels Cry and the song penned by producer Eric Stewart (of 10CC), I Won't Be Leaving You. Even the up-tempo second single One Way Love (penned by Jeff Lynne of ELO) fails to sound entirely convincing. One of the better cuts, Just One Heart, received a limited release on single in Holland and recalls the calypso feeling of The Heat Is On from her previous album, just as the rocky I Keep Turning Off Lights is reminiscent of the far superior Can't Shake Loose. Side 1 holds together pretty well until the annoying last song Click Track (she did a superb video for that one, though), but side 2 is quite weak. We Should Be Together is a good track, but the song (Why Don't Ya) Save Me is dreadful 80s rock at its cringiest. Two more songs were recorded for the album but only released as B-sides: You're There is a lovely pleasant mid-tempo cut, also co-penned by Agnetha, and it's a shame this wasn't included on the album. The other one, Turn The World Around, has some intriguing verses that are not only let down by the tinny production but also by a weak and repetitive chorus. Both tracks made their CD debut on the Agnetha & Frida - The Voice Of ABBA CD but can also be found on Agnetha's Greatest Hits package That's Me. Eyes Of A Woman is not entirely worthless, but knowing what Agnetha is capable of singing, this album simply does not do her justice, and the production drags down, leading me to only award this two stars."

Twenty years later

John Sposato | Syracuse, NY, USA | 09/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This will be reissued soon. I have the original (West) German/Deutsch CD. I have the bonus tracks on other CDs.

Featuring tracks written by Jeff Lynne, China Burton, Justin Heyward, Eric Stewart (producing), John Wetton, Geoffrey Downes, and Agnetha herself."