Roxette - Look Sharp! [Gold Spain Import]

Gleaming on limited gold vinyl, this Spain import of Look Sharp! brings back the 1988 album that carried Roxette from Swedish stardom to radios all over the world.

Per Gessle wrote hooks with pinpoint precision and the heart of a romantic, and Marie Fredriksson gave them a voice that could swing from playful to devastating inside a single chorus. Look Sharp! was where that partnership clicked on a global scale, a record of bright guitars, punchy drums and big late-eighties production that still sounds like it was made to be blasted from a car stereo.

"The Look" is the calling card, all clipped riffs and cryptic, sing-along lyrics that somehow make perfect sense at volume. "Dressed for Success" struts with the same swagger, while "Dangerous" keeps the energy high with one of Gessle's sharpest choruses. And then there is "Listen to Your Heart," the towering power ballad that let Fredriksson show exactly how much drama one voice could carry.

Between the singles, the album keeps its momentum with glossy pop-rock that never forgets to have fun, the sound of a duo enjoying its moment.

On gold vinyl, Look Sharp! looks the part as much as it sounds it, a shining reminder of how good stadium-sized pop could feel.