While I was looking for Cds to listen to the other night while I was up late, I came across “Roxette.” I remembered their song “The Look” and “Listen to Your Heart” instantly. My fiancé has had the album for quite some time now and I had no idea he was ever even into the pop music. He has a more different taste of music than I do but we switch back and forth to be fair.

~A Little About Roxette~

Marie Fredriksson and Per Håkan Gessle cam over from Sweden and had international success here in America as well as Europe. They were the first Swedish Duo to achieve such accomplishment in America. In 1985, this Swedish Duo formed together. Each had musical achievements already, but together they made a different pop sound to the US. IN 1989, “The Look” hit the US and took over the airwaves with its’ number one debut. “Dressed for Success” and “Listen to your Heart” also made quite an impression on the radio in the early 90s.

~Look Sharp!~

On “Look Sharp” there are 13 tracks. Some I would consider fillers and a few of them I actually liked but never did hear on the radio. Roxette performed in Europe early on and had more of a fan base over there rather than the US. The sound that this duo comes out with works okay somehow. I would have thought back in the early 90s they would have done better on the billboard charts with this CD but many of the songs were never released by the radio. So I was never to hear them until now. Look Sharp! Was the second best selling album in Sweden.

~Highlights of Look Sharp!~

By actually reading the lyrics of the “The Look” they are quite jumbled and don’t make much sense. Example:

“Swaying to the band, moving like a hammer
she’s a miracle man
Loving is the ocean, kissing is the wet sand,
she’s got the look.” ~ Roxette in “The Look”

There isn’t a lot whole to the song lyrically. However the sound of the early 90s, late 80s is still there. This song fit the profile of music we embraced around that time in our lives. “She’s Got the Look” runs around in my head and I find even after all these years, I still know the lyrics to most of it.

From “Pretty Woman” there was another hit called “Listen to Your Heart.” It was a hit for Roxette. “Pretty Woman” was big in the theaters and the song that touched the hearts of many women and men was “Listen to You Heart.”

“And there are voices that want to be heard
But you can’t find the words
The scent of magic, the beauty that’s been when love
Was wilder than the wind.” ~ Roxette in “Listen to Your Heart”

Every one was hoping that Pretty Woman would be a hit, but not as well as actually did in the theaters. People enjoy love movies and love songs so it made sense that “Listen to Your Heart” was suitable for the movie. It just expanded more of the Fan Base for Roxette.

“Chances” is a fast paced love song. The lyrics actually make sense in this love story. I would say that vocally it also sounded complete. I don’t believe that Marie Fredriksson and Per Håkan Gessle are the best at singing but it is good enough to pull it off. Marie Fredriksson has an okay voice but over the years now I have heard much better. Like many 90s bands and duos there wasn’t the best singing out there in the first place.

“Dangerous” is a song that I recall hearing possibly but I honestly am not sure. Many 90s songs sounded a like with the synthesizers and keyboards.

“Hold on tight, you know
she’s a little bit dangerous
She’s got what it takes to make
Ends meet the eyes of a lover
That hit like heat.”

There is actually a horn solo and guitar solo in this one song that sends out a fresh feel compared to the others that slightly gel to the other and mangles everything. The songs start to get confused after listening to this album.


~Overall Thoughts~

I would have to say that Roxette was alive in the early 90s and made the cross over to the US from Sweden. They found success for a while but like many 90s bands were left in the dust eventually when new sounds and songs began to come out. Roxette was never a power house on the music industry but they did well for the few years they were out there.

I would have to say that this CD is not the best but when you look at the era of time it came out, it was a success. So now over a decade later it is hard to say that it wasn’t a great album. At that point the sound of music was very different. I can see why they had their popularity at that time because the wound of the 90s early rock is there within each song.

For me it just helped reminisce on the past and listen to some songs that were easy on the ears. However, I don’t consider the CD to be all that special. It will go back into my pile of CDs and I will move on from there.


~Tracks~

The Look
Dressed for Success
Sleeping Single
Paint
Dance Away
Cry
Chances
Dangerous
Half A Woman, Half of Shadow
View from a Hill
Give you Up
Shadown of a doubt
Listen to your heart



Until next time,
KP ©2004


Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Exercising