2008 World According to P, C & C (IV): Florian Horwath, You Got Me Wrong - PG finds another demo - Will HJ be in the Roxette band in the future?

Per Gessle is working in 2008 version of TWATG. Meanwhile, Chris Lundquist and "the junkies" are not bored.

Florian Horwath, the "German Cat Stevens" (although he is not German and he is no cat), began recording his new album in November 2006 in the AGM studio with a great band.

• Florian Horwath - vocals
• Jens Jansson ("Mom") - drums
• David Birde ("Dad") - guitar
• Magnus Sveningsson ("Righteous Boy") - bass
• Peter von Poehl - guitar
  
• Christoffer Lundquist ("Chris") - ? ... what's needed
  

Finally, the record is ready. The track Baby You Got Me Wrong with Nina Persson (The Cardigans, A camp) will be digitally released on March 28. You can listen to it in Florian Horwath Myspace. The brand new video is now online in the "Video" Section of Florian Horwath Website. It was shot during the recording session of the duet in Sweden in January.

LJdM

Jeezus - no order in the bedroom! This morning I found a very early demo of "Wish you the best" called "Drum", which we just have to use on new The world according to Gessle-release!!! So… WYTB is left out in the cold… the album release is set for early May. That's the most recent whisper in the EMI corridors…

You should know it by now but… movies are in my blood! There's a brand new track of mine included in the brand new excellent (trust me, I've seen it!!!) Swedish movie LÅT DEN RÄTTE KOMMA IN [Let Me In], based on the book of the same name. Opening in the autumn but it has already won 2 heavy awards. My song is called KVAR I MIN BIL [Left in My Car] and is featured 3 times in the movie (including a short whistling version…). It was recorded during the En händig man-sessions and is a somewhat bluesy ditty with a great snappy guitar-hook. And it's under 3 minutes!

Per Gessle

One of the most popular topics in The Daily Roxette this week has this title: Will Helena Joseffsson be in the Roxette band in the future? You can read it here.

Emil from Bulgaria thinks that "her way of singing is not good for powerful Roxette songs." Mariana “Txiqui” Gumuzio, from Spain, "don’t think Helena’s voice fits Roxette songs at all. I can’t imagine her voice beside Maries voice. I guess that if they both sing together we wouldn’t be able to listen to Helena’s voice clearly 'cos Marie’s voice is so much stronger and poweful that wouldn’t let Helenas voice come out".

According to Jorge Ojeda (a fan from Argentina), "We‘re disscussing if Helena is the best person to make the backing vocals in the Roxette band in the future!! (maybe for a little tour?) Nobody said that she´s going to replace Marie in Roxette! Maybe they should call to Vicky Benckert again, in my opinion, she was the best in backing vacals for The Roxette band... ever".

Auryte Cekuolyte, from Lithuania, "would really like to see Vicky back with Roxette! She’s great :) I agree with those who said that Helena’s voice doesn’t fit Roxette songs. She is really good in singing all those “nanana’s” and hmm hmm hmm’s” in the background. Roxette songs demand more power :) And I doubt that Marie’s and Helena’s voices would make a good match."

Regn ask himself: "Why not? It’s a fact that Rox songs MUST change to fit Marie’s nowdays voice, the labor of a backing vocal is Help and Helena did well on Gessle’s solo proyect... Anyway I think the best backing vocals on Roxette were made by Mia Lindgren on LS! Tour."

The moderator Judith Seuma thinks that "Helena should concentrate in her solo stuff".

LJdM also found some very irritating comments there. Some people simply say: "Hopefully not". Keti from Georgia says that "Helena can sing alone, unless she would always stand under Maries shadow". Taschi considers that "Helena does not deserve to sing backing vocals or anything else for Roxette. To be honest, I do not like her very much. I also do not know what’s Per liking at her at all... Possibly he just wanted a complete opposite of Marie for his albums. She is simply the worst I ever heard... But what shall we discuss here, Per rules and he decides... Please call Vicky again!!!!". FGOTM wants "no Helena in Roxette!!!Rox songs would sound ridiculous with her. I think Gessle is clever enough not to allow this. Save her voice for Gessle’s solo projects, though what he has found in her voice is a mystery to me. Glad I’m not the only one. Bringing back Vicki would be great idea indeed, she is simply superb."

7-Twenty-7 asks: "Has anybody noticed Vicki’s voice? She did some backing vocals for songs included on ’Joyride’ and ’Tourism’, but I never managed to hear her voice. Even in the live recordings, she’s not noticeable. I don’t really miss her... Some Roxette songs (like ’One Wish’ or ’Make Me Head Go Pop’) sound ridiculous, even if Helena was not involved. No need to blame her, Roxette can be ridiculous by themselves when they want, with no ’help’ from the outside."

Jiri Vlcek (aka abysmo, from Czech Republic) says: "Helena is completely different singer than Marie, every attemps to arrange her into Roxette as a singer must failed because everybody will compare her with Marie. Roxette is Per’ s music and Marie’ s voice. I’ m sure that Per have the same attitude. I like Helena’ s sweet voice, but not as a part of Roxette music. This will be same like replacing Per with Mikael. As I said, I like Helena and Mikael Bolyos, but H. on SOAP and Dynamo and M. on A Familly Affair or Marie’ s solo albums."

We can also read the comments by some active Helena Josefsson's fans (Alberto, Rachel and Ángela)

LJdM

Comments by fans:

IMHO, Roxette are Per + Marie. I don’t need Helena’s voice in Roxette (although I love it). I am a big fan of Helena and I like her work in her solo album (Dynamo), with her band Sandy Mouche and with Son of a Plumber (SOAP). But I think Gessle is not thinking about a “Roxette project” that could include Helena. SOAP is a very different project.

Btw, Helena is recording her second solo album and a new album of Sandy Mouche: obviously she is not thinking about being the substitute of Marie at all. Why should we write about this silly idea?

Everytime Helena is brought into conversation in TDR or R2R forums, some people speak about an unreal war (“Marie versus Helena” or “Helena versus Marie”??) using disproportionate words. Yes, I am too susceptible. Helena has worked with Magnus Sveningsson (Righteous Boy) and nobody thinks she is going to replace Nina Persson in The Cardigans. I will try to answer the question.

Helena as backgroundsinger of Roxette? She has worked with The Ark, Righteous Boy, Gyllene Tider, Andreas Johnson, Doug Wyatt, Justin Winokur, Junior Senior, Swan Lee ... Helena’s voice can fit different bands and very different styles. But she is now concentrated in her solo stuff, in Sandy Mouche and in Son of a Plumber.

And although I am a fan of Helena, I agree: Marie and Vicki Benckert could make a better match into a “Rox Pop Hit” but Marie and Helena’s voice would match better into a “Rox Ballad Hit”. By the way, you’d have to find Vicki (where is she?)

Alberto Fuente (aka Lantartida),
from Madrid, ES

I’d love it if she did wind up in the touring band, it’d be a test of people’s so-called devotion. I mean, at the end of the day, it’s not her you’d be paying to see, is it? I don’t know if she’d ruin Rox songs by backing. There is only one way of finding out though...

Rachel (aka whateveriam), from Norfolk, U.K.
The_cute_suit - La conasse

Wooooowo!!!! The Helena anti-fanclub is back again!!!!! Any excuse is good for some people to atack her. And no, I don’t see Helena doing back vocals for Roxette or for any other band on tour. I agree 100% with Judith. She should concentrate in her solo career or in Sandy Mouche and give more good music for those who can appreciate it. For those who cannot.... you’ll miss it!!! :p

P.S. Lantartida, take it easy man, you know this is quite useless :)

Ángela Peralta, from Zaragoza, ES -
aka Miss Misery / Miss Teacher