Customer Reviews

Da Capo

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I must confess to having had some trepidation over going to the effort of importing this CD, especially given the relative weakness of their prior "Cruel Summer (Flowers)" release. Not that their last album wasn't good, but it felt like a lot of filler thrown around a few very good songs, and clearly wasn't up to the level of their first two releases. On "Da Capo", the band really returns to top form, and sounds absolutely fantastic.

The first two singles "Unspeakable" and "Beautiful Morning" are both beautiful pop songs, but that's really just the beginning. Other top notch songs include "Remember the Words", the bouncing title track "Da Capo", the softer ballads like "Ordinary Day" and "Hey Darling", and my personal favorite "Wonderful Life." My only knock on the album is its length. It clocks in at about 42 minutes, but it's a SOLID 42 minutes, with zero filler, and well worth the expenditure/hassle of importing it.

For my part, I can't figure out why there has been no US release of this great album. Properly promoted, "Da Capo" could have been an enormous hit, as the album is vastly superior to the majority of pop music that's was released at the time and since. Fans of classics like ABBA, as well as old Ace of Base music will not be disappointed. This is the one that you've been waiting for.

Ace of Base has always been an interesting band to listen to, with their creative and sometimes odd lyrics, and catchy as hell beats. After the slump of their last album, Cruel Summer, Ace of Base have returned with one of the best albums ever - upbeat and carefree!

1.UNSPEAKABLE - Nice lead off track. The verses are okay, but the song really cranks up during its infectious chorus ("All I wanna say to you, is na na na na unspeakable!") The video is awesome too! (5/5)
2. BEAUTIFUL MORNING - The whole reason why I bought the album. It's simplistic with its easy to sing to lyrics, yet its so upbeat and positive! This is one of those songs I have to have on repeat! (5/5)
3. REMEMBER THE WORDS - This song is ok. Sounds a little like filler, but still glad it's on the album. Another nice upbeat song. (3/5)
4. DA CAPO - Europop in it's finest! Yeah, the verses do lag with the Real McCoy style rap with the guys, but the beat is just too infectious! Definately a great song to dance to! (5/5)
5. WORLD DOWN UNDER - Unfortunately, this is also in the category with RTW. Has more of a reggae beat, but it just sounds too much like filler. (3/5)
6. ORDINARY DAY - I enjoy this song very much. It's very soothing to listen to and the vocals seem effortless. I love the part when she sings, "I want to kiss you, not just ordinary miss you." Another album highlight. (4/5)
7. WONDERFUL LIFE - This is a cover song. I have never heard the original, but this is nice. It's a little slower than the other songs. (4/5)
8. SHOW ME LOVE - I love the beginning of this song! The harmonies are excellent! It's another slower song, but it's great and the music flows effortlessly. It's great to see the men are getting more chances to sing with this album - even if it is background vocals.
9. WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME - For some reason, it seems like I am not too fond of all the odd number songs (i.e. RTW and WDU) this, yet again seems like another filler with more reggae beats. I usually skip this one. (2/5)
10. CHANGE WITH THE LIGHT - THE DEFINATE SMASH HIT OF THE ALBUM! This is another up beat europop dance track and it is by far their best! Great lyrics ("Smile on my face like Dr. Jekyll/ Mr. Hyde) abd great vocals! (6/5)
11. HEY DARLING - This has more of a rock tune to it and it is awesome! It's so cool how it gets quiet during the bridge, an then the rock music cranks up again! Another good one. (4/5)
12. THE JUVENILE - People complain that this song is too eerie, but that's what makes it interesting. Kinda reminds me of something ABBA would do. Rumored to be on a Goldeneye soundtrack. (4/5)
13. DON'T STOP - WHY THIS WASN'T ON THE ALBUM TO BEGIN WITH I WILL NEVER KNOW! This is pop perfection! Right from the start the music draws you in and though the chorus is repetitive, you will singing it all day! (6/5)
14. SUMMER DAYS - The song starts off with a great piano intro, then fades into more of a reggae sound. However it is a nice laid back summer song! (4/5)
15. BEAUTIFUL MORNING (GROOVE RADIO EDIT) - This is not the best remix of the song. It is more fast paced than the original, but it reminds me of a cassette that has been playing to long in the stereo and the song begins to drag. (2/5)

Overall, this is definately a great comeback album! Rumor has it they are all ready working on their follow up album as we speak!

I have been an Ace Of Base fan since the 1st album. They have such a wonderful way of making good dance music and wonderful ballads. With Da Capo the tracks are well rounded and you can feel the emotion of the girls Jenny & Linn as they sing each of these tracks. The bonus tracks of Don't Stop, Summer Days and Beautiful Morning(Groove radio Edit) make this a worthwhile purchase. Don't Stop and Summer Days should definetly have been included on the CD itself. My personal favorites are Don't Stop, Summer Days, Unspeakable, Da Capo, Remember The Words, Hey Darling, Change With The Light, & Beautiful Morning. The rest of the tracks are very good and I listen to this album all the way through pretty much everytime. I recommend this album for fans or people who like a good album with ballads of Love or who like to dance. Enjoy it, I have.

If there's one group on the planet who will put you in a happy mood it's Ace Of Base, their songs are catchy as hell and while some people have reviewed some of their lyrics as "odd" I can only disagree and say that their lyrics are (95% of the time) very happy and uplifting, and the other 5% would be the catchy (yet sad) ballads like "Angel Eyes" or "Everytime It Rains."

Ace Of Base seem to improve on each album they release, I never thought there would ever be an album made that would be more catchy than their "Flowers" album and yet they've somehow done just that on "Da Capo" which is without doubt their strongest album to date, just like their previous, this album has been heavily criticised because Jenny Berggren sings lead vocals on most of the songs, I personally don't have any problem with this as Jenny has a very nice voice but it is nice to see Linn having more of an appearance on this album.

Each track on the album is brilliant, the album contains the 3 singles "Unspeakable," "Beautiful Morning" and "The Juvenile" aswell as some of Ace Of Base's best songs to date such as "Da Capo," "World Down Under," "Show Me Love" and "Change With The Light" - it's great to see Linn back singing lead vocals on "Ordinary Day," "Hey Darling," "Don't Stop" and "Summer Days" - the best song on the album and in my humble opinion, Ace Of Base's joint best song along with "Life Is A Flower" is their cover of Black's "Wonderful Life" - what an absolutely brilliant song, they turn a mellow and (at times) depressing song into one of the most uplifting songs ever recorded, Jenny's takes lead vocals on the song and Linn's background vocals fit in nicely.

This album gets 5 out of 5 from me and I'm looking forward to hearing Ace Of Base's next studio album, this time (officially) as a trio. Long live the greatest thing to have ever come out of Sweden.

Once again, Ace of Base has outstandingly triumphed with DA CAPO, their first album in quite some time. Filled with uplifting, groovy tracks, Da Capo will lift you right out of your seat and have you dancing along in no time. The first four tracks are incredible. Unspeakable, Beautiful Morning, Remember the Words, and Da Capo are a terrific set of songs. The following songs are also impressive: World Down Under, Ordinary Day, Wonderful Life (great track!), Show Me Love, What's the Name of the Game, Change with the Light, Hey Darling, and The Juvenile. On this album, there are special extra bonus tracks which you won't want to miss! BUY THIS ALBUM! You will never regret it! Ace of Base may not be in the U.S., but if you don't have Da Capo, your AOB collection is not complete!

DA CAPO, in a nut shell, is classic Ace of Base. This version, the Japanese import, is worth the extra $. You get 'Don't Stop' 'Summer Days' and the groove edit of 'Beautiful Morning.' Believe me, it's worth it! The whole album is awesome, with one exception. 'The Juvenile' is a rather dreary ballad that doen't really do anything for me. Actually, it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the songs (which are all up to mid-tempo tunes). Faves: Beautiful Morning, Unspeakable, and Remember the Words. It's truly a shame that this album has only been released in Europe (except the UK, Italy, & Ireland) and throughout Asia and the Middle East. Oddly, this all English-language album (like all Ace of Base music) has yet to be released in an English speaking country. For North American, British, Latin American, and Aussie fans, we'll more than likely have to settle for the imports. Enjoy this worth while purchase!

This album is good. My best favorite songs are, "Beautiful morning", "Hay Darling", "Summer Days".

However,it made me bit disappointed about the whole musical fashion. When I heard about AOB's new album release,I was expecting a whole new style which would not share any from the past songs. AOB's second album, "the Bridge" was a different taste of first album "Sign" (U.S. released title). It was like a similar ingredients with more of salt and pepper, with bit twist from the first. The third, "Crule Summer" (U.S. released title) was radical! It was so good that sometimes I still listen to it,
and I would recommend to AOB fans. I also used to have European released Aalbum, and that one was fantastic.

But as an AOB fan, I felt this album was influenced by the past songs. Such as "Unspeakable" was bit similar to "Crule Summer",
"Summer Days" was kinda close to mix of "Dr. Sun"(not released in the U.S.) and "Into the Night of Blue"(not released in the U.S.).

Well, as AOB themselves claim, "Da Capo" is the album which was projected from their early days of performance. After all, the word "Da Capo" means in musical term, "back to the begining".

But, this is pretty good album, and if you are a true fan of AOB, then you won't regret buying this.

By the way, does anyone know where to get the European released singles such as "Dr. Sun" and "Into the Night of Blue"? Email me! davegesprek@yahoo.com

With Da Capo, Ace of Base manages to combine the energy, catchiness and pep of their youthful early 1990s debut with a maturity that comes from the 10+ years they have spent mastering their craft.

The CD is a polished collection of pop, dance and ballad numbers which feature lush production (if there is any complaint it might actually be that the production is TOO lush) with strong beats and - surprisingly - frequent bouts of soaring vocals. Ace of Base was never given much credit for vocal prowess, but Beautiful Morning, Unpeakable, Remember the Words, Wonderful Life, Ordinary Day, What's the Name of the Game and Hey Darling all showcase vocals that are either powerful in their force or impressive in their range of scale.

Ballads Ordinary Day and Show Me Love are both moving. Ordinary Day is touching, sweet and will lull you into a desire to fall in love, if you aren't already touched by the bliss of attraction. Show Me Love is sort of the opposite - a plaintive appeal to a cherished someone to turn and invite you into their life so that your broken and fractured heart can find shelter and care.

Da Capo offers up the skimpiest dance track offerings of any Ace of Base CD to date. Only Da Capo (Eurodance/Trance) and Change With the Light (a poppy version of today's electronica dance with a slower more deliberate R&B type beat) are true dance offerings.

In Europe, Beautiful Morning, Unspeakable and The Juvenile were released as singles in various territories. Hey Darling is scheduled to be released in Scandinavia in early 2004.

Outside of Europe, Beautiful Morning and Unspeakable have been released as part of a scatter-shot effort of record companies which aren't quite confident enough in the band's marketablity to promote them much, but at the same time are cognizant of the lingering affection that many hold towards the band.

Thus, many Ace of Base fans will learn of this latest comeback CD not from radio or TV but from friends and fellow music lovers via email. This is a bit unfortunate for a group that once reigned atop the charts all around the world. But Ace of Base is held together by the love the band members hold for each other rather than money or convenience. Thus, for those of you who are in a territory - like the U.S. - where Da Capo has yet to be released, have faith... because you never know exactly what will happen next with this Swedish band that has managed to improve their musical skills and remain a relevant force in the international music industry for over a decade.

Ace of Base were popular in the early 90's and then seemed to have disappeared. They returned with a weak album in 98 and are now back big time!!! Da Capo is definately their best album to date and is such a progression from their previous albums. Unfortunately this album hasnt been released everywhere but Ace of Base still have a strong fan base and this album explains why! If you were a fan before, pick this CD up and prepare to love them even more!

This is a CD every single Ace of Base fan should have. It is worth paying the import price. I'm not too fond of 'Hey Darling' as it is on the version released in the UK (where I bought my copy), but the rest of the songs are great and I listen to the CD all the time. It's a stronger, better CD than 'Cruel Summer' and the songs embody everything that hooked me on Ace of Base in the first place.