Cruel Summer

"All That She Wants," the song that catapulted the photogenic Swedish quartet to the Top 10 in the early '90s, was impossible to escape--it kept popping up on radio and prime-time TV shows, and even in novels. Despite the inevitable Abba comparisons--and the fact that the music was crafted in that sugary pop fashion that seldom lasts past the first single--Jenny, Linn, Jonas, and Ulf refused to disappear. They followed up their debut album, The Sign, with The Bridge, the songs on which--"Beautiful Life," "Lucky Love"--headed more and more toward lollipop dance, and it is there that they pick up with their third release, Cruel Summer. It is hard to label this collection of syncopation and radio-friendly melodies as anything more than fun, but that's just fine with Ace of Base. As they've pointed out in the past, "A good song is a good song." These songs--as exemplified by the light, upbeat groove of the title track--are just as apt to convince their fans likewise. --Rebecca Wallwork