See that girl, watch that scene…

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve seen "Mamma Mia!" in London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and I’ve never failed to be swept into the euphoria of the ABBA songs that propel the musical.

I’ve always gone along with the theory that a key reason for the show’s huge success is that aside from performances by tribute bands, ABBA's music hasn’t been played live for decades. So "Mamma Mia!" is the only way to hear "Dancing Queen," "SOS," and the rest in full sonic glory, overseen and approved by ABBA’s creative principals, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

With the release this week of the soundtrack album from the movie incarnation, which opens July 18, a similar updating is taking place on the recording level. This time, Ulvaeus and Andersson were totally hands-on, leading sessions in Sweden that featured many of the musicians who played on the original recordings. That’s like Phil Spector summoning his old Wrecking Crew from their desert lairs and delicatessen booths to have another go at "Be My Baby."

It's ABBA apotheosis, and it's pretty impressive. The 18 vibrant tracks on "Mamma Mia! The Movie Soundtrack" (Decca Records) recapture the buoyancy of the originals while adding depth and richness. If you agree that the ABBA oeuvre rivals Spector and pre-arty Beatles as pop music’s major repository of pure fun and feeling, you know this is a must-have.

The wild card is the singing by a cast of stars who don’t have a lot of singing credentials. The three male leads aren’t really given enough rope to do any damage. Pierce Brosnan gets more spotlight than Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård, starting shaky but building up a head of steam with Meryl Streep on "SOS," and sounding like Cat Stevens waking from a long nap on "When All Is Said and Done," a new entry in "Mamma Mia!" and one of several revisions of the repertoire. (You might find some of the details at the film's website, but I couldn’t locate them there.)

The women are where the action is in this musical, and the main characters are in good hands, with Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters turning in solid, personable performances. But it really comes down to Streep’s Donna, who’s featured prominently on fully half of the songs and is called on to bring some real depth to the frothy fun.

"The Winner Takes It All" is the big showstopper and the major challenge for every Donna, and Streep follows two potent recorded performances of the song — Agnetha Fältskog's on ABBA’s version and Siobhán McCarthy's on the original cast album. Streep gives it an original, eccentric take, speaking some of the phrases, whispering others, wobbling around a bit and finally taking flight for the big-pipes chorus.

"Winner" exemplifies the way Streep uses erratic technique to her advantage, creating a personality with her imperfections. She might not be the greatest singer on paper, but she’s a strong character who sings from the heart, and ABBA’s songs give her plenty of heart to work with.

-- Richard Cromelin

Photo of Streep with original ABBA members Agnetha Faltskog (center) and Anni-frid Reuss (right) at the film's premiere in Sweden: Leif R. Jansson / EPA

Comments

[barry pretorius]

Agnetha Frida are without a doubt the most prolific vocalists of the 70's. And Meryl is a BIG SCREEN Goddes. What a powerful collaboration - Meryl, Agnetha Frida! Viva ABBA...