REVIEW: Dancing Queen by Cher

Cher, Dancing Queen (Warner)

Imagine Cher made a full album of sub-par “Believe” follow-ups. Now imagine these songs were also ABBA covers. No need to pretend, this is exactly what you get with the singer’s new album, Dancing Queen. After starring in the just as necessary sequel to Mamma Mia this past summer, the Queen of Comebacks felt inspired to cut an LP packed with the Swedish group’s greatest hits. The only redeeming moments on Dancing Queen come when she goes stripped down, though these are few. Heavy synths and Auto-tune worked wonders for Cher in 1998 — it was innovative, even a little enchanting. Flash forward 20 years, and latching onto this style places a taint on these timeless anthems.

3/10 Trial Track: “Fernando”