By the time
the Thompson Twins
recorded
Close to the Bone
, they were reduced to the duo of
Tom Bailey
and
Alannah Currie
, and they had abandoned new wave synth-pop for light funk-inflected dance-pop. Most of
is too sterile and predictable to be truly enjoyable, yet there are a handful of tracks that serve as a reminder that the group can turn out well-constructed and catchy pop songs when they choose. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine