ABC Album: “Abracadabra”

By 1991, English synth-pop band ABC had been popular on the music scene for nearly 10 years, where the group were reduced to a duo by 1987 when vocalist Martin Fry and musician Mark White slowly took ABC into a new direction. The 1987 album Alphabet City was a commercial success and with the following album Up in 1989, the duo began experimenting with house music. The album, which only peaked at #58 in the UK, was the duo's first album not to make the UK top 30 whilst also being the first album to miss the American album chart altogether. By 1990, the duo had found themselves signing a major deal with EMI Records, where ABC's sixth studio album Abracadabra was released on the label in late 1991. This new album continued to incorporate a lushly produced mix of 1990s dance sounds and house music, whilst adding a 1970s dance groove flavour. The album's most simple but greatly effective artwork immediately gave hints of the album's maturity, sophistication and richness.

Love Conquers All was the album's leading single and unlike the Up album, this track really took the band's experimentation with the 1990s dance sound to the limit. The song is carved in a commercial pop structure, whilst the instrumentation and production give the song and the album such a lush and 1990s dance-themed sound. The immediate "l.o.v.e." chant that introduces the listener to the track is infectious to say the least, before relaxing melodic instrumentation and gospel vocal backing gives the song a rich atmosphere. Fry's vocal has enough sophistication and richness itself to carry the song effectively, and quite often over the lush piano sound of 1990s house music.

Unlock the Secrets of Your Heart takes the sound and atmosphere of the album's opening track and puts its own spin on it, including some beautifully glossy keyboards throughout. The song's instrumentation, aside from the danceable rhythm section, can be put into three sections - the melodic keyboard, the relaxing/soothing guitar and the chorus' rich orchestral overtones. The song oozes atmosphere and Fry's vocal comfortable continues a rich theme, where his range allows him to catch those high notes leading to the song's pleasant chorus. The 1970s dance groove experimentation thoroughly displays itself in this particular track - this is ABC reinvented and all the more soulful too.

Answered Prayer has a bright sound of fully lush house music with the same tone as the previous tracks, particularly in the light and melodic guitar. As the album's longest track at six minutes, the only slight criticism is that the song's last vocal section only revolves around backing vocalists without Fry. The song's melody has such a `breezy' motion in its sound that an immediate feel of carelessness and relaxation fills the listener. Fry's lyrics make the best of this effect as well as his vocal sophistication which fuels the song's effectiveness greatly. The song's chorus is gorgeously crafted with soothing keyboard and gospel backing vocalists, although the pre-chorus is the major highlight with effective vocal over that lush house piano sound.

Spellbound falls into the selection of Abracadabra tracks that sound like they are created entirely for the club scene and is therefore a stand-out commercial dance track. The song's lush piano is the dominant melodic instrument whilst the pumping but light rhythm section compliments the delicate sound further. Fry sings with such lightness and smoothness that he can easily hit the high notes in the verses, whilst continuing the richness that he creates so well. The chorus is a major highlight and although it doesn't have the commercial hook of many ABC hits, the mix of Fry and gospel backing vocalists works tremendously - particularly when they repeat the same short lyric line a few times together, which is catchy and particularly fitting for the dance floor.

Say It was the album's second and final single, although the version released as the single was The Black Box Mix, from the team behind the house group Black Box. The Black Box Mix was naturally very much a typical 1990s dance track, which took away the 1980s vibe that the album version had. The remix uses much less of the melody. When it came to the more commercial and accessible album version though, it became clear that this was a track that could have been a big hit for ABC earlier on in their career, although the song has the production and style of the 1990s sound. The song's grand sounding backing glossy keyboard and synthesized orchestral layer strikes a certain infectiousness. Fry's vocal is on the borderline between dominantly emotive and rich, which works agreeably with the song's driving rhythm. The song's chorus is simple enough but the execution makes the section all the more effective, with the backing female vocalists working well alongside Fry.

Welcome to the Real World is without a doubt one of the album's strongest tracks and a wonderful slice of 1990s dance-pop with enough atmosphere to recall ABC's 1980s sound. On this track, White experiments with so many different layers and sounds. Once the lush and rather enticing melody sweeps in, the atmosphere is set perfectly. Fry's vocal still maintains the sophistication and richness throughout whilst managing to hit certain high notes and fuelling more energy and power in his vocal when necessary. The song's chorus, like much of the album, isn't the usual expected commercialised hook, but based around some fantastic various keyboard layers, including a great spiralling sound, under Fry's memorable vocal.

Satori is the album's weakest moment but this is largely down the fact that this song is almost like a three-minute instrumental, but with a recurring vocal section thrown in. It is a simpler track with less construction and development. Having said that, the song's atmosphere is great and the music itself isn't at all bad in anyway - it is probably more down to the vocal section being a little repetitive as the song enters the final minute or so. Fry's vocal is simple but effective and almost sits on the borderline of talking and actually singing, whilst the song's laidback instrumentation is nicely executed and features nice keyboard and a sold rhythm section.

All That Matters is a track that could have easily been recorded by ABC years before this album and yet despite its more `straight-forward' commercial appeal, the song still fits perfectly on the album. Opening with the rhythm section, the song soon bursts into the beautifully glossy and memorable melody - both gorgeously paced and soothingly lush. Fry's vocal in this track remains strong and dominant whilst keeping a high level of richness throughout and alongside the glossy instrumentation, it works wonderfully. Fry and female backing vocal work nicely together to create an effective chorus which is certainly commercial and infectious.

This Must Be Magic is the album's final track and the duo certainly save the best until last - in fact it should have been a single! This track truly merges the original ABC commercial sound with their updated early 1990s style. Every little detail of this track is fantastic and the various melodies are sublime. The song fades in beautifully with the immediate glossy and lush sound, before the wonderfully infectious keyboard melody joins. This is then taken over by another melody which is equally as good and fully effective, along with the orchestral layer. Fry's vocal is truly at its best here where he displays such emotion and dominance whilst maintaining a fully rich and mature edge. With the verses' glossy keyboard backing, as well as another little gem of a melody, the pre-chorus builds up to the incredibly catchy chorus that uses the main melody and some effective vocal.

Upon release, and much like the previous album Up, Abracadabra failed to give the duo the commercial success they once easily found. The album fared a little better in the UK than the last, where it peaked at #50. The leading single Love Conquers All managed to peak at #47 in the UK and Say It peaked at #42. Say It was more successful on the American Dance Charts where it peaked at #3. Despite not being a huge commercial success, the album was met with muted critical approval and appreciation from fans. However, at the time things had become strained within ABC. Today Fry has stated that the duo were 'burned out' by the time they signed their new record deal with EMI, although he believes the album still has its moments. He has also stated that the duo went round in circles making the album and had to scrap a lot of music to get to the finished record. ABC soon split after the release of the album, and although Fry would later revive the name, Fry and White have never work together since.

Although the album hasn't always been fully respected, it remains liked by many although there are some who have never found themselves fully 'into' the new sound the duo attempted here. The writing balances between being commercial as well as aiming for the dance/club scene. The performance of the songs is consistently effective, the atmosphere is rich, mature and sophisticated, whilst the production is lush, glossy and full of life. The duo's dramatic change of style is vastly underrated as the album sounds very comfortable and the transition isn't awkward. Those familiar with the band's hits may have to give the album a few listens before truly appreciating the album's depth and overall sound. For anybody who wants to listen to the lesser known work of a popular 1980s act then this album is a perfect choice. Overall, Abracadabra is a greatly underrated album, full of great melodies, rich vocal, strong lyrics, fantastic production and a mature sound.