August 12th sees the release of Bossa Loves Abba, ‘The Bossa & Chilled Songbook of ABBA’ – a unique 14-song collection of ABBA’s greatest hits, performed by ex-Bjorn Again singer, Susie Webb, in the traditional Bossa Nova style, perfect for summer.

Bossa Loves ABBA

It’s the first in a series of planned ‘Bossa Loves’ albums, which will see Susie put a Brazilian spin on various artists’ greatest hits. Having been a backing singer for some of the biggest names in music including, The Who, Queen, Sting, Lionel Ritchie, Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli – Susie decided she wanted to start her own album series. “I was travelling a lot through Europe where I kept hearing Bossa Nova music, which I’ve always loved. I thought it would be interesting to put a retro Bossa spin on some of my favourite artists,” says Susie. “ABBA was the natural starting point, it’s an album combining my two biggest musical passions.”

With this in mind Susie set out to make a covers album that would evoke the retro sounds of artists like Astrud Gilberto, singing Fly Me to the Moon and Girl From Ipanema and Antonio Carlos Jobin, another famous Bossa artist.

Together with Argentinean producer Rodrigo Crespo (Shakira), the pair got to work on picking the biggest ABBA hits that would work best in the Bossa Nova style. “Rodrigo brought authenticity to the album as he has Bossa Nova in his blood” says Susie. “I also wanted to make sure we weaved backing vocals throughout the album, in the same vein as 50s and 60s Bossa Nova albums, and Rodrigo was great in helping me develop that.” The duo were even inspired to write their own original song, Solitary Life, inspired by ABBA and Bossa, also featured here in the collection.

Susie sings all the vocals on the whole album, with Rodrigo in charge of the music and instrumentation, even going back and forth to Buenos Aires to add various authentic South American sounds to the album. Susie has taken on classics like Dancing Queen, Knowing Me Knowing You, Take a Chance, Fernando, Gimme Gimme Gimme and lead single, The Winner Takes It All, an apt accompaniment to this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio, the true home of Bossa Nova.

“Having made a career singing in ABBA tribute bands, firstly Bjorn Again, then her own band The FABBAGIRLS (voted best ABBA tribute band in the world), I know first hand just how much love there is for these songs,” says Susie. “We wanted to do something different and to put our own take on them, and with the Olympics coming up, it was the perfect timing for Bossa Nova. We had a lot of fun making this record and I hope people will have just as much fun listening to it.”

Tracklist

1 Dancing Queen
2 Knowing Me, Knowing You
3 Chiquitita
4 Take A Chance
5 Solitary Life
6 Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
7 I Do I Do I Do
8 Mamma Mia
9 S.O.S
10 The Name Of The Game
11
 Fernando
12 
I Have A Dream
13
 Happy New Year
14 The Winner Takes It All

Bossa Loves Abba ‘the Bossa & Chilled Songbook Of Abba’ Is Out August 12.

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