Reviewed by Natasha Azarmi at Aftonbladet, Friday, 3 June 2022
It’s not about recreating classic hit pop. The first single with PG Roxette is instead a nice tribute to a friendship and song treasure that was so often characterized by joy.
The story of Roxette could have ended in 2019, after Marie Fredriksson’s death. But after many ifs and buts, Per Gessle decided otherwise.
He wants to pay tribute to the duo’s long collaboration, friendship and musical heritage and brings together Roxette’s old live band consisting of Jonas Isacsson, Clarence Öfwerman, Magnus Börjeson, Christoffer Lundquist, Helena Josefsson and Dea Norberg.
Together they form PG Roxette. In this way, the band’s song treasure may continue to grow, but in a completely new form. Gessle makes the wise choice to never try to replace Marie Fredriksson’s big voice.
Instead, he invests in playfulness. The first single is characterized by a lot of synth, but above all an immediate melody and a euphoric energy where the feeling of early Roxette is constantly present. With the upcoming album “Pop-Up Dynamo!” Gessle has even strived to write a sibling to outstanding albums such as “Look Sharp!” and “Joyride”.
And here he succeeded nicely. The music video for The Loneliest Girl in the World feels in many ways like a follow-up to “Dressed for Success”, where the whole treasure is the dancing joy between Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle. Fredriksson sings into the camera with an attitude and lively look that is hard to forget.
This time, Gessle is at the center. For almost four minutes, the year is 1988 and the singer stands in a simple photo studio, among dazzling neon lights, with the guitar over his shoulder and the boots stamped on the floor. The smile is ever present.
It’s not about recreating the band’s best or biggest hits, it would be to get water over your head. PG Roxette is instead a nice tribute to the great joy that so often characterized the original.