''Good Karma'' is the tenth and final studio album by
Roxette
Roxette was a Swedish pop rock duo, consisting of Marie Fredriksson (vocals and keyboards) and Per Gessle (vocals and guitar). Formed in 1986, the duo became an international act in the late 1980s, when they released their breakthrough second a ...
, a Swedish
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
duo consisting of
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
and
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...
. Released on 3 June 2016 by Roxette Recordings and
Parlophone
Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...
, it was the only album issued by the duo under an international recording contract signed with Parlophone's parent company
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
. The album was produced by Gessle alongside
Christoffer Lundquist
Carl Christoffer Lundquist (born 1970) is a Swedish musician and producer. He was once in the band Brainpool, where he started as a bass player and backing vocalist, but moved to play both the bass and the guitar. Brainpool won a Swedish Gram ...
and
Clarence Öfwerman
Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album ''Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's ''Good Karma'', Roxette's l ...
, with co-production on several tracks by Addeboy vs. Cliff, among others.
''Good Karma'' was recorded over a period of nearly two years, with its recording frequently interrupted by
The Neverending World Tour
"The Neverending World Tour" was the umbrella name used to describe a series of concert tours by Swedish pop duo Roxette. The name was derived from the title of the duo's debut single, 1986's "Neverending Love". Their sixth and final concert to ...
. The tour ran from 2009 until the beginning of 2016, when Fredriksson was advised by her doctors to cease all touring activity due to poor health. The album is more
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
than the duo's previous releases, with Gessle saying he was inspired by the thought of not having to perform the songs live, choosing instead to focus on creating more electronic and complicated compositions.
A Sebastien Drums remix of "
Some Other Summer" preceded the release of ''Good Karma'' by several months, being followed by the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
"
It Just Happens
"It Just Happens" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 8 April 2016 as the lead single from their tenth studio album, ''Good Karma''. An electropop track, it was their first release under a new deal signed with Warner Music Grou ...
" on 8 April 2016.
EPs were issued for subsequent
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
"Some Other Summer" and "
Why Don't You Bring Me Flowers?" on 17 June and 4 November 2016, respectively. A fan-made video for the Roxette version of "Some Other Summer" became a
viral hit after it was publicised via Roxette's
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
accounts. The video proved controversial in Poland, with the couple who created it receiving death threats.
The album received mostly positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, with a number of them praising Gessle's songwriting and Fredriksson's vocal performance, and describing it as a fitting end to Roxette's career. However, others complained about the overtly electronic production. The album also performed well commercially, debuting at number one in the Czech Republic as well as number two in Switzerland and the duo's native Sweden, and was their highest-charting studio album since the 1990s in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Background and recording
''Good Karma'' features production contributions from Swedish duo Addeboy vs. Cliff, with whom Roxette had collaborated on a 2015 remix of "
The Look
"The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. It ...
". Roxette songwriter
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...
said he sought to integrate an additional musician or collaborator into every album he released, explaining this was done "just to make everyone – myself included – stand on our toes. I always welcome change if it's
orthe right reason." He noted in the case of ''Good Karma'' that "new blood definitely needed to be injected everywhere", but said the album would be produced by him alongside regular contributors
Clarence Öfwerman
Clarence Öfwerman (born 22 November 1957) is a Swedish record producer, best known as the longtime producer of Roxette, having been with the band from their debut album ''Pearls of Passion'' in 1986 through to 2016's ''Good Karma'', Roxette's l ...
and
Christoffer Lundquist
Carl Christoffer Lundquist (born 1970) is a Swedish musician and producer. He was once in the band Brainpool, where he started as a bass player and backing vocalist, but moved to play both the bass and the guitar. Brainpool won a Swedish Gram ...
.
"
The Look (2015 Remake)
"The Look" is a song by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was released in early 1989 as the fourth single from their second studio album, '' Look Sharp!'' (1988). It became an international hit, and was one of the most successful singles of 1989. I ...
" was used by a Swedish fashion company in a prominent advertising campaign during the Autumn of 2015, with Gessle saying Roxette was collaborating with numerous producers and remixers for their upcoming studio album, indicating a new
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
would be released before the end of the year.
A remix of new Roxette track "
Some Other Summer" – created by French producer Sebastien Drums – was released on 6 November 2015 along with a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
.
![Roxette 2014-04-08 003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Roxette_2014-04-08_003.jpg)
Gessle said he wanted ''Good Karma'' to sound like an updated album that leaned toward a "classic Roxette tradition",
elaborating: "
wanted to combine our classic Roxette sound with a modern and slightly unpredictable production to create a soundscape where you would both recognise our sound and find something new."
The album is more
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
than the duo's previous releases. Gessle said he began work on it knowing the material would never be performed live, a situation he found inspiring, as he could create elaborate electronic tracks in the studio instead of focusing on how the songs would translate to a live, guitar-orientated setting.
Lead singer
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
's
brain tumour
A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...
diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...
in 2002 made it difficult for her to memorise the lyrics to new songs, so
The Neverending World Tour
"The Neverending World Tour" was the umbrella name used to describe a series of concert tours by Swedish pop duo Roxette. The name was derived from the title of the duo's debut single, 1986's "Neverending Love". Their sixth and final concert to ...
consisted primarily of Roxette's
greatest hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
. The tour began with the band's performances at the 2009 edition of the
Night of the Proms
Night of the Proms is a series of concerts held annually in Belgium (since 1985), the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. Regularly there are also shows in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, the United States and Sweden. The co ...
festival.
''Good Karma'' was recorded over a period of nearly two years; Gessle said recording was frequently disrupted by the duo's touring schedule.
Unlike previous albums ''
Charm School'' (2011) and ''
Travelling
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can ...
'' (2012) – which both made usage of old ideas – Gessle confirmed every song on ''Good Karma'' was written specifically for the album, saying it became a "more cohesive production" as a result.
Despite this, album closer "April Clouds" is based on the lyric "Wish You the Best", a song from Gessle's 1997 solo album ''
The World According to Gessle
''The World According to Gessle'' is the third solo album by Swedish pop singer Per Gessle, released on 2 May 1997. It was his first solo album in English. The title is a paraphrase of "The World According to Garp" - the novel by John Irving.
" ...
''. Two outtakes from ''Good Karma'' were issued as singles from Roxette's 2020 compilation ''
Bag of Trix
''Bag of Trix'' (subtitled ''Music from the Roxette Vaults'') is the third box set compilation by Swedish pop duo Roxette. It was issued physically by Roxette Recordings and Parlophone on 11 December 2020, as a quadruple LP and triple CD set ...
''—"
Let Your Heart Dance with Me
"Let Your Heart Dance with Me" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 2 October 2020 as the second single from their compilation album ''Bag of Trix''. The song was written by Per Gessle, and contains vocals by Marie Fredriksson. ...
" and "
Piece of Cake".
Release and artwork
"
It Just Happens
"It Just Happens" is a song by Swedish pop music duo Roxette, released on 8 April 2016 as the lead single from their tenth studio album, ''Good Karma''. An electropop track, it was their first release under a new deal signed with Warner Music Grou ...
" was released as the
lead single
A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date.
Release s ...
from ''Good Karma'' on 8 April 2016, the duo's first release under a new deal signed with
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...
.
Its music video was directed by Tobias Leo Nordquist and released on 20 May. The cover artwork for the album was designed to mimic the
imagery
Imagery is visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions, especially in a literary work, but also in other activities such as psychotherapy.
Forms
There are five major types of sensory ima ...
of a butterfly. ''Good Karma'' was released on 3 June 2016,
with a limited edition
translucent orange-coloured vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
being issued as Roxette's final studio album.
The release was timed to coincide with the scheduled opening concert of the final leg of The Neverending World Tour in 2016. This final leg was cancelled after Fredriksson was advised by her doctors to stop touring due to poor health. Fredriksson sent a thank you message to fans for their kind wishes, in which she said: "Sadly, now my touring days are over and I want to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful fans that
ave
''Alta Velocidad Española'' (''AVE'') is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to . As of December 2021, the Spanish high-speed rail network, on part of which the AVE s ...
followed us on our long and winding journey." She said she looked forward to the release of ''Good Karma'', describing it as "our best album ever." She died in 2019 due to complications stemming from her brain tumour diagnosis in 2002.
An
EP for the album's second single, "Some Other Summer", was released on 17 June 2016. An official music video was not created for the original version of the song; instead a
lyric video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
was uploaded to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on 29 June. A fan-made video for the track became a
viral hit after Roxette shared it via their official
social media
Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
accounts. The video proved controversial in Poland, with the couple who created it receiving death threats. An EP of "
Why Don't You Bring Me Flowers?" was released as the third and final single from the album on 4 November 2016, containing an exclusive single remix of the song created by Addeboy vs. Cliff. A music video for the song was created using footage uploaded by fans to Roxette's official website as part of a contest. The video was inspired by and contains footage from the Polish couple who created the video to "Some Other Summer". Marie and Per expressed regret over the "wave of criticism" the couple received in Poland.
Critical reception
''Good Karma'' was met with mostly positive reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. A writer for ''
Upsala Nya Tidning
''Upsala Nya Tidning'' or ''UNT'' (meaning ''Upsala New Newspaper'' in English) is a regional daily newspaper published in Uppsala (archaically spelled Upsala), Sweden.
History and profile
''Upsala Nya Tidning'' was established in 1890. The dist ...
'' praised the production, which they said contains "a certain retro feeling
..but also features the ethereal and dreamy sound of some of Gessle's solo records (with echoes of
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instrum ...
)". The writer complimented it for containing "smart choruses and nice details from
pop history", before concluding that if ''Good Karma'' was their final record, Roxette were ending with "their flag flying high".
Brendon Veevers of ''
Renowned for Sound
''Renowned for Sound'' is an Australian online magazine
An online magazine is a magazine published on the Internet, through bulletin board systems and other forms of public computer networks. One of the first magazines to convert from a pri ...
'' gave a glowing review, saying it contains some of the best material Roxette released in the latter part of their career.
Writing for ''Cryptic Rock'', Alfie Vera Mella described the album as being a "perfect" release to celebrate the duo's 30th anniversary,
while Tyler McLoughlan of ''
The Music
The Music are an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the releas ...
'' praised Gessle's songwriting for an abundance of
hooks.
The staff of ''
Mittelbayerische Zeitung
''Mittelbayerische Zeitung'' is a regional newspaper for Bavaria, Germany, founded in 1945 by Karl Friedrich Esser. Headquartered in Regensburg, the paper employs 550 and is owned by Mittelbayerischer Verlag KG.
The online version can be reache ...
'' rated the album "impressive", praising "Why Dontcha?" and "From a Distance", while
laut.de
laut.de is a German online magazine dealing exclusively with entertainment music, especially pop music, rock music, alternative music, alternative, Metal music, metal, hip-hop, jazz and Techno music, techno. It comprises record reviews, intervi ...
writer Kai Butterweck said: "''Good Karma'' isn't a record that will change the pop world, but a solid nod to the past." He elaborated by stating that "Marie and Per pop their way through their own archive quite solidly". Despite this, Butterweck said "A little less synthetics in the sound would have done the album good. But by and large, Roxette still sound like Roxette in 2016."
Similarly,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
complimented the album for an increase in
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
as compared to the rest of their later work, but said on ''Good Karma'' the duo "deliberately excise the fizziness that fueled their big hits all in a conscious attempt to play toward their middle age. In that regard, ''Good Karma'' is a success—it's a mature Roxette album that doesn't disavow their past—but it's hard not to miss the
bubblegum
Bubble gum or bubblegum is a type of chewing gum, designed to be inflated out of the mouth as a bubble.
Bubble gum flavor
While there is a bubble gum "flavor" – which various artificial flavorings including esters are mixed to obtain – it ...
Euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
style of ''
Look Sharp!''"
The record received some mixed reviews as well. Nils Hansson of ''
Dagens Nyheter
''Dagens Nyheter'' (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record.
History and profile
''Da ...
'' said Gessle and the producers sought to appeal too much to young
Electropop
Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...
fans, "with digital loops,
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
beats,
autotune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
voice and
rave
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
synths". Hansson additionally complained Fredriksson did not contribute vocals to more songs. ''
Gaffa
''Gaffa'' (stylized as ''GAFFA'') is a free Nordic music magazine with local editions in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. ''Gaffa'' is Denmark's largest and oldest music magazine. It has been published since 1983 and has 320,000 print readers and ...
'' reviewer Jesper Robild argued Roxette initially found success as a result of their songwriting talent and criticized the amount of producers credited, saying: "More people than usual are involved, and ''Good Karma'' is obviously coloured by today's pop and dance music. Gone are all the interesting distorted guitars and drums, replaced by new elements such as electronic beats, Auto-Tune/
vocoder
A vocoder (, a portmanteau of ''voice'' and ''encoder'') is a category of speech coding that analyzes and synthesizes the human voice signal for audio data compression, multiplexing, voice encryption or voice transformation.
The vocoder was ...
and similar unbecoming ingredients." Despite this, he praised Fredriksson's performance and said the album would have sounded better with more organic instrumentation.
Stuff
Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to:
*Physical matter
*General, unspecific things, or entities
Arts, media, and entertainment
Books
*''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly (author), Joseph Connolly
*''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jere ...
writer Hannah McKee said ''Good Karma'' plays like a "jumbled archive of pop music from the '80s, '90s and '00s, jam-packed with as many different pop trends as possible", but went on to compliment Fredriksson's vocals, saying her voice is at times reminiscent of her performance on "
It Must Have Been Love
"It Must Have Been Love", originally "It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted)", is a song written by Per Gessle and performed by the Swedish pop duo Roxette. The power ballad became the duo's third number one hit in the United ...
" (1990). She described "April Clouds" as "the most emotionally invested" song on the record.
Although the staff of ''
Göteborgs-Posten
''Göteborgs-Posten'' (lit. "The Gothenburg Post"), abbreviated GP, is a major Swedish language daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden.
History and profile
''Göteborgs-Posten'' was first published in 1813, but ceased publication in 1 ...
'' also gave the record a mixed review, they too praised Fredriksson's performance, saying the album is best when the tempo "slows down" and she takes "center-stage" on the ballads such as "April Clouds". They dubbed the song the "finest" track on the album, describing it as what "in perfect balance manages to combine Per and Marie's love for the early American and Swedish 70's sound that made Roxette something out of the ordinary
n the first place"
Other publications that commented on "April Clouds" included ''
Expressen
''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue".
...
'', with Anders Nunstedt dubbing it one of the album's best tracks,
while Markus Larsson of Sweden's biggest newspaper ''
Aftonbladet
''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries.
History and profile
The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...
'' said the song acts as a "beautiful goodbye" if this is their final record.
Commercial performance
''Good Karma'' peaked at number two in the duo's native Sweden, held off the top spot by
Volbeat
Volbeat are a Danish rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll, heavy metal, and rockabilly. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and guitarist Michael Poulsen, guitarist Rob Caggiano, drummer Jon Lars ...
's ''
Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie
''Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie'' is the sixth studio album by Danish rock band Volbeat. The album was released on 3 June 2016. It is the first album not to feature Anders Kjølholm who left in November the previous year.[Czech Albums Chart
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 19 ...]
, standing as their first number one in the country since ''Charm School'' in 2011. ''Good Karma'' debuted at number two in Switzerland, where it was held off the top spot by ''Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie''. It also made the top 10 in Austria, Hungary and Spain.
In Germany, ''Good Karma'' debuted at number 11, making it Roxette's first release since their second studio album ''
Look Sharp!'' (1988) in 1989 to peak outside the top 10 of the
German Albums Chart
The GfK Entertainment charts are the official music charts in Germany and are gathered and published by GfK Entertainment (formerly Media Control and Media Control GfK International), a subsidiary of GfK, on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindust ...
.
The album performed poorly in Denmark, where it debuted at number 52 with sales of just 168 copies.
''Good Karma'' became the first Roxette studio album to enter the top 100 in the United Kingdom since 1999's ''
Have a Nice Day
Have a nice day is a commonly spoken expression used to conclude a conversation (whether brief or extensive), or end a message by hoping the person to whom it is addressed experiences a pleasant day. Since it is often uttered by service employee ...
'', debuting at number 61 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...
with first week sales of 1,682 copies. It attained a higher peak position on the
Scottish Albums Chart
The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles Chart, ...
, debuting at number 44.
In Australia, the album entered and peaked at number 25,
the duo's highest placement there for a studio album since ''
Crash! Boom! Bang!
''Crash! Boom! Bang!'' is the fifth studio album by Swedish pop duo Roxette, released on 9 April 1994 by EMI. The album was an immediate commercial success, peaking within the top 10 in over 20 national charts throughout Europe, Australasia and ...
'' in 1994.
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Per Gessle; all music is composed by Gessle, except where noted.
Notes
*
signifies backing track production
*
signifies a co-producer
Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Good Karma''.
* Roxette are
Marie Fredriksson
Gun-Marie Fredriksson (; 30 May 1958 – 9 December 2019) was a Swedish singer, songwriter, pianist and painter, who was best known internationally as the lead vocalist of pop rock pop duo, duo Roxette, which she formed in 1986 with Per Gessle. ...
and
Per Gessle
Per Håkan Gessle (; born 12 January 1959) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the male half and primary songwriter of the Swedish pop rock duo Roxette, which he formed with Marie Fredriksson in 1986 and which was d ...
.
* Recorded at Tits & Ass Studio in
Halmstad
Halmstad () is a port, university, industrial and recreational city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Socia ...
; The Aerosol Grey Machine in Vallarum,
Scania
Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
; Studio Vinden in
Djursholm
Djursholm () is one of four suburban districts in, and the seat of Danderyd Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. Djursholm is included in the multi-municipal Stockholm urban area. Djursholm is divided into a number of different areas: Djursh ...
and GB17 in
Täby
Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 66,292 inhabitants in 2013. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Swed ...
between May 2014 and February 2016.
*
Mastered
Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
by Björn Engelmann at Cutting Room Studios in Stockholm.
Musicians and technical personnel
* Addeboy vs. Cliff –
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
(at GB17),
programming and production (tracks 5, 6, 9 and 10 only)
* Emmelie Åslin – photography
* Marie Dimberg –
management
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
* Viktor Flumé – photography
* Wickholm Formavd – design
* Marie Fredriksson –
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
and
background vocals
A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used ...
* Per Gessle – lead and background vocals and production
* Christoffer Lundquist – background vocals, engineering (at Aerosol Grey Machine and Studio Vinden), programming, production and
mixing
*
Helena Josefsson
Helena Marianne Josefsson (born 23 March 1978) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist in the band Sandy Mouche and has collaborated with Per Gessle, Roxette, Arash Labaf, The Ark and various other Swedish musical project ...
– background vocals
* Clarence Öfwerman – production
* Mats "M.P." Persson – engineering (at Tits & Ass Studio)
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Roxette albums
2016 albums
Parlophone albums