Search - Agnetha Faltskog :: I Stand Alone

Pack the bags kids, Mumma?s going to Malibu!

Chris | Sydney, Australia | 01/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whatever convinced Agnetha to break her no-travelling rule and fly to Malibu, California to record this, her third English solo record, was nothing short of a miracle. With the help of Chicago frontman Peter Cetera, self-confessed recluse and media shy Agnetha produced the strongest record of her career.From the slightly dark lead single `The Last Time' to the bubbly `Let It Shine', Agnetha gives her all in some stellar performances. The ballad `Maybe It Was Magic' is perhaps the best solo recording of her career, `We Got A Way' is `Beach-Boys-in-the-eighties' surf and sun, whilst `I Stand Alone' is a Roxette-eque mid-tempo about feminism (!) Add in a couple of Diane Warren ballads and gorgeous pop tunes like `Little White Secrets' and you have a rather well-rounded record.My favourite song has to be the criminally underrated `I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)', a duet with Cetera which went largely unnoticed when released as a single. A shame, because it's pop power ballad brilliance, on par with Cetera's duet with Cher `After All' at around the same time. Perhaps the success of the latter overshadowed the Agnetha collaboration? In any case, `I Stand Alone' remains Agnetha's strongest and most engaging solo release to date. It has a very Californian pop feel to it which works wonders with Faltskog's sweet, unaffected vocal style. Add to that, the gorgeous album photos which see Agnetha with lengthy spiked hair and black leather pants! I can give or take her debut release, and `Eyes Of A Woman' is quite a strong set, but if you feel the desire to purchase one of Agnetha's three English studio albums this is definitely the wisest purchase."

Essential Agnetha

D. P. Wolfe | Littleton, CO United States | 12/20/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Agnetha released 3 English language CD's in her post-ABBA singing career. All three releases are decent and have their
highs and lows, but 'I Stand Alone' stands alone (pun intended) as Agnetha's best. Peter Cetera does a great job of producing the album, and in finding a sound that fits Agnetha quite well. Most of the songs are solid, and a few are outstanding.
'I Wasn't the One' should have been a US top ten hit, and wasn't. The title track and 'Let It Shine' are among the best
things Agnetha has done post-ABBA. Everyone has their own opinion about the post-ABBA work of Agnetha and Frida, but I have felt for quite a while that 'I Stand Alone' is the best of the girl's solo albums. This album
captured a very nice slice of the voice and persona of Agnetha, something that was sadly lacking in both of her previous solo CD's."

+ ½ star. Agnetha's best solo album of the 80s.

Søren Karlskov Jensen | Sweden | 11/09/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"After the lackluster Eyes Of A Woman album, I Stand Alone was a much better album and more homogenous, and Agnetha's new looks were stunning! Agnetha recorded this with Chicago's Peter Cetera, and this could have been huge - really huge - had Agnetha not been so reluctant to promote it. It was heralded by a bomb of a single, The Last Time, that should have been a hit, and there were several other songs with great hooks: Let It Shine for one, but also Little White Secrets and the title track I Stand Alone. The sound is warm, the production slick and laid-back but perhaps also a bit bland, although Agnetha tried to add some edge with the rocky We Got A Way. It's nowhere as awful as Save Me (from the Eyes Of A Woman LP) but it's one of those 80s rock tracks that haven't aged very well. The other tracks are mostly ballads, including a duet with Peter Cetera, I Wasn't The One Who Said Goodbye (also recorded in Spanish as Yo No Fui Quien Dijo Adiós), that are pleasant enough but not particularly interesting. I don't think the album is as strong today as I thought back then but it is enjoyable, and I award I Stand Alone 3½ stars in total for some nice 80s nostalgia."