Ace Of Base

Sign

The Sign

Review Score:

(10/10)
As much as we may hate to admit it, Ace of Base's debut, The Sign, is a landmark in the vast `90s pop hall of fame. The first Europop act to massively break in the US (not even ABBA experienced the head-spinning success of the Aces, although they did manage to outlast them in later years), Ace of Base's brand of mixing disco-pop with reggae influences and melodies that are as catchy as they can get drove them to the top of the charts all over the globe, resulting in the most successful debut release ever (23 million copies sold worldwide). At times, the formula of breakout single "All That She Wants" seems tried and over-done, especially in the following smash hits "Don't Turn Around" and "The Sign", but the group shines on moments such as "Dancer in a Daydream", "Wheel of Fortune", and "Waiting For Magic" when the Euro-disco formula is in full swing and you're almost waiting for a mirrorball and a multi-colored dancefloor to appear. While the disc spawned three consecutive Top 5 hit singles, three Grammy nominations and sold 9 million copies in the US alone (as well as becoming the first album by a Scandinavian artist to reach No. 1 on Billboard's 200 album chart), many were quick to dismiss Ace of Base as a flash-in-a-pan pop act, and their subsequent albums failed to match the stunning success of The Sign, although as time passed, their songwriting grew and made them a strong and formidable act. Nonetheless, listening to each of these 12 slices of pure Europop heaven adds intensely to the charm that it still possesses almost ten years after its release.

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