Anni-Frid Lyngstad's debut LP, entitled
Frida, also coincided with her taking on
Benny Andersson, formerly of
the Hep Stars, as her producer, and that event coincided with the singer's first distinctive recordings. For the first time in her career, working with
Andersson (who co-wrote one song with
Björn Ulvaeus, "Peter Pan," which she cut as a single), she shows a sound of her own, her voice emerging as a distinctly expressive and pure instrument amid
Andersson's lean yet creative accompaniments. All 11 songs are appealing, and one can begin to hear the attributes that would emerge on the early
ABBA recordings. The two best tracks are her versions of
Paul Simon's "The Sound of Silence" and
Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne," both done in Swedish (the former titled "En Ton Av Tystnad"), but it's all interesting and much of it is enjoyable, even if
Lyngstad still had some way to go to find her range and reach her peak. ~ Bruce Eder