Music Review: 'Cruel Summer'

It’s clear what Ace of Base Svengali Jonas Berggren is aiming for — the iridescent sonic symmetry of Swedish forebears ABBA. A pretty lofty ambition. But he and his seraphic singing sisters, Linn and Jenny, actually attain ABBA’s perfect pop-Euro-disco balance on this third outing. There isn’t a note out of concordant place, no potential hook overlooked. Excepting the pointless title track (a hit for Bananarama in 1984), Berggren has done his homework. Just don’t hate him because they sound so pretty. B+

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