Customer Reviews

Party Crasher

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ah, what to say, what to say about my beloved Per Gessle, of Roxette fame... with his musical partner Marie Fredriksson he took the world by storm in the late 80's and some of us never got off the bus when they were on their Joyride, so I'm the first one at this party and I have to give a just and proper review... well, Marie isn't here first and foremost so for anyone looking for a full-fledged Roxette album don't expect it, although the new girl Helena ( I still haven't figured it all yet, after 20 years of listening to Marie's voice not having her around just doesn't exactly make me jump for joy when a new singer emerges, but I'll still give her a fair shake ) doesn't exactly have a bad voice, but she is IN NO WAY a Marie Fredriksson and it shows on this album. Per does most of the singing and in every way this is his very own album, not more so than TWATG was because on this album he does have Helena singing along with him perhaps trying to recreate some of the old Roxette magic we Rox fans know and love... the highlights on this album are " Silly Really ", a Bee-Gees meets Roxette 70's type disco tune... " Breathe Life Into Me ", typical Per Gessle airy, light breezy pop... the overtly sexual yet still Per Gessle innuendo styled " I Didn't Mean To Turn You On ", which has a slight reggae beat to it... and the last track " Doesn't Make Sense ", not a Roxette or Per Gessle type song at all, something very ethereal and willowy, surreal almost... I don't know what he was doing when he was recording this album but he really broke new ground on this one, kinda like what he and Marie did on " H.A.N.D " in '99... all in all a rewarding effort and an worthy addition to Per's vast library of work... he is VERY underrated as a musician and anybody who thinks he is all hooks and shallow catchy lyrics about love, ice cream, balloons, sex on summer day and all the other stuff he sings about is deluding themselves. Sometimes music can be enjoyable without meaning much, and Per Gessle himself isn't trying to change the world with his music, but Roxette has always been about moods and making you feel whatever you want to feel at any given time... from Gyllene Tider, to Roxette, to Marie Fredriksson, and Per Gessle... this icon of Swedish pop and ultimately WORLD MUSIC will endure for a long time to come. Hey, he's been a musician for over 32 YEARS and he's only 50 years old... I don't care what anybody says, this guy's a genius and I'll be buying his records forever. Keep Roxin' Per, YOU'RE THE MAN!!!

Party Crasher is Per Gessle's second english solo album and it's another great collection of pop songs filled with imaginative sounds and memorable melodies. The man behind the super successful group Roxette knows how to make great music and continues his excellent form albeit with a new female voice to back him up. The sound is steeped in electro grooves with excellent production techniques and lots of hooks. The female vocals are handled by Helena Josefsson who is a Swedish singer and though she's no Marie Fredriksson in terms of impact, her voice still fits Per's style like a glove. Highlights include the pop groove of "Silly Really", the moody ballad "Sing Along", the infectious melody of "Gut Feeling", the strong ballad "Perfect Excuse", and the layered sounds of "Kissing Is The Key". The booklet contains all the lyrics with some cool artwork too. Party Crasher is highly recommended to fans of Per Gessle and his catchy style of songwriting and production.

It's very surprising to me that Per Gessle's album "Party Crasher" had only three reviews for almost two years. Now it has four. It should have four thousand.

To say that this album is great is understatement. It's brilliant. It's daring. It's a product crafted by a master songwriter. Each and every song is done with the detail and attention it deserves. The arrangements are fantastic, each musical part fitting the song it plays on, its mood and character.

I'm not a Per Gessle fan per se. I'm a fan of great music and this is great music in spades. Very few living songwriters can hold a candle to Per Gessle's musical talent. Paul McCartney, Matthew Bellamy (from the band Muse), and Prince come to mind. Per Gessle is that good.

Sadly, in America, Per Gessle is almost forgotten. He was a half of the Swedish duo Roxette, which contributed the song "It Must Have Been Love" to the soundtrack of the movie "Pretty Woman" (1990). That was 20 years ago. Since then, he's recorded a ton of music, both with Roxette and as a solo artist. Most of it has not been heard in the U.S.

Fortunately, Per Gessle continues to write and compose amazing music. I highly recommend this album to every music lover's collection.

First things first, Per Gessle, the Swedish pop/powerpop GENIUS behind Roxette, as well as his previous, now ongoing powerpop band Gyllene Tider, and his multi-storied solo career, is my Michael Jackson, my KING OF POP, as nobody, and I mean NOBODY, outside of Paul McCartney, delivers killer pop/powerpop consistently, without fail...but yet, he's not predictable either...you can't pin Per down and he has the ability to constantly delight and surprise.

This most recent 2008/2009 release, and 7th solo album, 8th if you count the 1995 book/audio project on a fictional band "The Lonely Boys" (not to be confused with Los Lonely Boys), "Party Crasher", is both different and not so different.

It's a 12 tracker, and features co-singer Helena...she's appeared on recent Per solo efforts before...but she's no Marie Fredriksson, the greatest female singer since Karen Carpenter. Anyhoo, Helena's voice blends in with Per's in such a way that many times, you can't tell them apart, as Per sings in his falsetto a lot on "Party Crasher"...with Marie, you can tell them apart.

Anyhoo, it took a while to get this record, buying and listening...at first it was majorly disappointing!! I loved the first single "Silly Really", which is not so much Per meets the Bee Gees, it's more like Per meets Yazoo...that keyboard hook is a lift/tribute (??) to Yazoo tunes like "Situation" and "Don't Go" (and it even has a Pet Shop Boys feel with his vocals), but is still unmistakably Per Gessle, with it's at-first silly lyrics but deeper meaning sneaks out, surrounded by hooks so catchy it should give you cavities. There are other ultracatchy powerpop rockers here too, like "Gut Feeling" and "Thai With A Twist" (get it??), and the pure pop of "The Party Pleaser" with it's cool "yeah yeah yeah" chorus. BUT there are lots of slower numbers too, with ethereal keyboards and even reggae(!?!) beats, but they work...it took 2-3 listens (in a row) for their melodies to take hold, but they do...you just have to trust Per with this record...he's never let me down before, and he doesn't here either...yet I wasn't so sure after the first listen.

In all, it's a very good record and you finish with a question mark on where he's going next...

Just found out...next is back to Roxette...he and Marie just wrote a new batch of tunes for a new record, there will be a tour, and their 7 albums (from "Pearls Of Passion" to "Room Service") are getting remastered/reissued with bonus tracks in mid-October!!!!!! That, after a new megadeluxe reissue/remaster of "The World According To Gessle"...life is good these days for a true Per Gessle fan like me...I'm happy!!

While Per gets his name on the album, he liberally uses a 'co-singer' who sounds at times remarkably like Marie Fredrikkson! Not that I minded--the pop confections included within display a range of influences, some with the absolutely-irresistible hooks that Per is so good at creating. Tracks 4, 8 and 12 (wonder if that was on purpose? lol) are outstanding.