The Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio is the first album by the new line up Ace of Base.
Released 24th September 2010 in Germany (closely followed by other European countries), the album features new vocalists Clara Hagman and Julia Williamson (and guest-stars Lex Marshall in “Mr Replay”). Previous band members Linn and Jenny Berggren do not feature on this album.
The lead single All For You is currently charting in Germany.
Click here to sample each song on the albumReview
Releasing this album under the name Ace of Base was a controversial move, but this is undoubtedly an Ace of Base album. The same catchy melodies and hooks are there, the same great beats are there. What is not there however, are the same great vocals. Call me stuck in the past, but I much prefer the voices of the Berggren sisters to the raspy voice of Clara and the the unremarkable voice of Julia. The girls undoubtedly have talent – but just not the type of voices I would go out of my way to hear.
The tracks on the album are for the most part fantastic. They are mostly upbeat, simple and catchy as hell. The tracks are all very well produced. Like with previous album, the band experiments with a new sound – this time country (Told my Ma, Southern California). But for me it’s the dance tracks that make the album – Black Sea, Doreen and Vision in Blue are fantastic tracks, as are One Day and Mr Replay which pay homage to their original sound in Happy Nation.
Overall it’s a very good album – I rate it 4/5. Only keeping the original singers would have seen this rate higher.
Do you agree or disagree with my review? Please leave a comment below.
| Song Title | My Rating | Notes |
| All For You | 7.5/10 | Solid lead single, but a bit noisy and I wish it was a bit faster. |
| Blah Blah Blah (on the radio) | 7.5/10 | Great chorus! Rest of the song lets it down slightly. |
| The Golden Ratio | 6.5/10 | Very Gaga-esque. Chorus is a bit slow. |
| Southern California | 5.0/10 | A country track that really shows of Clara’s vocals. |
| Told My Ma | 6.5/10 | A country-ish song that you can’t help but sing along to. |
| Black Sea | 8.5/10 | High energy, great to dance to! |
| One Day | 7.5/10 | Classic Ace of Base. Great production and catchy. |
| Juliet | 5.0/10 | A pretty song, but a bit slow. |
| Precious | 4.0/10 | Twinkle Twinkle? I’m not sure – I hope it grows on me. |
| Vision in Blue | 8.0/10 | Another great dance track – reminds me of Sash. |
| Mr Replay | 6.5/10 | Features Lex Marshall. Didn’t like it at first, but it’s catchy! |
| Who I Am | 3.5/10 | The only ballad on the album. It’s very dull. |
| Doreen | 7.0/10 | Upbeat and catchy, but a little repetitive. |
about 10 months ago
I like it The Golden Ratio and Calefornina
about 10 months ago
Jag tycker mycket om The Golden Ratio jag gillar även Södra Kaleforninen
about 10 months ago
After a few listenings, I have come to enjoy the recording a lot. I think that some tracks are great (All For You, Golden Ratio, Mr. Replay, Black Sea, Precious, One Day, Vision in Blue, Blah Blah Blah) and a couple I don’t much care for (Told My Ma, Who Am I) The other tracks are fine, not great. I still think that this configuration should be called something other than AOB, but I do enjoy the recording and will be happy to hear more from them.
about 1 year ago
The album is excellent and I agree with a 4/5 rating. I miss Linn and Jenny’s vocals – who can sound better than them, ever? – and Clara and Julia have a very tough act to follow.
Most of the songs are very good, my favorites being Bla Bla Bla, Black Sea, One day, Mr Replay, Vision in Blue & Sothern California.
However, earlier AOB albums had some “GREAT” songs, which actually toom me into a ‘euphoric’ mood. Songs like The Sign, Living in Danger, I Pray, Dr Sun, Life is a Flower, Beautiful Morning, Unspeakable, Never Gonna Say I’m Sorry, etc. From this album, only Bla Bla Bla and One Day fit that category, somewhat, in my opinion.
Overall, the album continues to be a great AOB album, very swedish, very pop, very catchy and danceable. Have been hearing it – and nothing elase – since its release 3 weeks ago!
Go Aces!
about 1 year ago
Mostly agree but there’re some differences
Southern California sounds really bad cause of Clara vocals
Precious is very AOB song
modern interpritation of classic sound (for me it sounds like next step after Giving It Up demo)
Try to listen it after One Day