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The Bridge is the second album by Swedish pop music group Ace of Base. It was composed during 1994 and 1995, and released on November 21, 1995. It is the only Ace of Base album to feature writing, production, vocals and harmonies by all four band members, each having an important part in its creation.
On January 1, 1994, The Sign album and single hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Inspired by the band's success, Jonas penned the first song of what would become The Bridge while on holiday in the Canary Islands. The song was "Beautiful Life". Jonas hoped to incorporate gospel elements into the song, which was composed retaining the band's original club-friendly beat.
The band was still promoting their previous album and so work on The Bridge was infrequent during much of 1994. Jonas and Ulf each composed (separately) a half-dozen songs. Jonas' songs were recorded mainly at Cheiron Studios in Stockholm, while Ulf's tracks were created at Tuff Studios in Gothenburg. For the first time, Jenny and Linn also composed and produced songs. Their tracks were recorded mainly at Tuff Studios.
Ulf continued to work with John Ballard and StoneStream (Björn Stenstrom). In Stockholm, Jonas worked with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop and vocalist Jeanette Söderholm.
By the turn of the year, the band had recorded enough demos to present to their three major record companies. Ulf and Jenny appeared on VH1's Lift Ticket to Ride and mentioned the band's new recordings.
User Album Review
Ace of Base's sequel to their multi-platinum debut The Sign sounds like the same record on the surface. There are the same bouncy Europop beats, ingratiatingly catchy melodies, and shiny production. However, underneath that gloss is an improved sense of songwriting. Ace of Base still might not be innovators, but they don't need to be. Instead, they turn out tightly constructed pop songs that are better written than they appear -- songs like the hit "Beautiful Life" would sound good in different arrangements or if they were performed acoustically. And the songs on The Bridge are, overall, better than the ones on The Sign. Ace of Base might not be able to replicate the phenomenal success of their debut, but they have managed to deliver an album that is just as satisfying.
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