Roxette - Joyride

The beauty of Roxette is that the duo of Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson can do practically anything in terms of Top 40 music. From the quiet desperation of "Spending My Time" to the chanting carnival of "Joyride" to the folky "Church of Your Heart," they bring a worldliness to their lyrics and melodies that most pop A-listers don't even have the imagination to dream of. This, the follow-up to their breakthrough disc, Look Sharp!, sees through on what that collection hinted at, meaning most of the songs sound like they were designed to be hit singles, not just filler between two or three good cuts. "The Big L," "Soul Deep," and "Hotblooded" all follow in the successful vein Gessle and Fredriksson mined with "The Look," while "Fading Like a Flower (Every Time You Leave)," an insistent rock ballad, and the accordion-driven "Perfect Day" take things down a notch. The low-key "Watercolours in the Rain" and the whining "(Do You Get) Excited?" are the only cuts that keep the album from being a total success. For the most part, though, this is two pop artists at the top of their game. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alar Suurna Engineer, Mixing Anders Herrlin Programming, Engineer, Bass (Electric), Producer Anne-Lie Rydé Vocals (Background) Clarence Ofwerman Keyboards, Mixing, Programming, Barrel Organ, Piano, Organ (Hammond), Producer Dave Edwards Narrator George Marino Mastering Henrik Janson String Arrangements, Conductor Jalle Lorensson Harmonica Jonas Isacsson Mandolin, Harmonica, Slide Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (12 String Electric) Kjell Ohman Accordion Marianne Flynner Vocals (Background) Marie Fredriksson Vocals Mats Persson Percussion Mattias Edwall Photography Mia Lindgren Vocals (Background) Mikael Renliden Trumpet Pelle Alsing Drums, Hi Hat Per Gessle Guitar (Rhythm), Harmonica, Whistle (Human), Tambourine, Vocals Roxette Design, Mixing Staffan Ofwerman Vocals (Background) Tomas Sjögren Trumpet Uno Forsberg Trumpet