Erotica

may have echoed the prevailing trends of the British music scene, but they could never be faulted for mere mimicry or want of imagination. What they lacked in the originality department they more than made up for with stellar musical execution and the undeniable talent of lead singer and songwriter . Repeated listens to (released just prior to 's LP of the same title) should convince the harshest cynic that absorbed, rather than plagiarized, what they listened to. You can hear strains of 's guitar rush and 's scrawl and scream in ; it's undeniably a fantastic song. Also, not too many songwriters of the time were as bold or articulate as , as she is here. (not a cover), cover), and rival anything that the British charts had to offer at the time; heck, any of the ten songs here sound like great singles. continued to expand themselves rhythmically and make further strides into sophisticated pop, managing to make a third successive album that's top-to-toe fantastic. ~ Andy Kellman