MUSIC REVIEW: ROXETTE - CHARM SCHOOL

Roxette is one of my fave bands of all time. Really, you might ask? Yes. They have given me countless hours of enjoyment with their music. Songs like The Look, Joyride and Dangerous are still good to get me dancing and their ballads like Fading Like A Flower, It Must Have Been Love, You Don't Understand Me and Listen to Your Heart are top tier in my little world. So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned that the band was reforming and putting out a brand new album, their first in 10 years, Charm School. The album opens with Per Gessle taking lead vocals on the folksy influenced Way Out. Don't worry, the signature Roxette harmony comes in with Marie Fredriksson soon enough and the crunching guitars kick in too. The album is not a far cry from classic Roxette, boasting fun rockers, like first single She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio), and gorgeous ballads like No One Makes It On Her Own and the dreamily exquisite Speak To Me , but new sounding at the same time. The intimacy of Glad You Called uses Marie's voice, still in tip-top form, to it's wonderful best, letting us in on a fragile relationship in flux. Like this song, there are far more songs featuring co-lead vocals than on other Roxette releases, and it's nice. While I usually prefer the Marie-led songs, these songs seem specifically built for Roxette to enjoy singing together. They must have missed one another as much as I missed them. You'll find that every track on the album will delight any Roxette fan and is perfectly capable of roping in a new group as well. It's Roxette, just updated. What a treat!! Check it out if you can get your hands on it. No U.S. release date has been announced yet. You can get it if you really look for it though. Check out the brand new video for She's Got Nothing On (But the Radio) below. Yay!!