Audio CD review:
Erasure - Union Street

Erasure - Union Street

Band: Erasure Title: Union Street Rating: Release Date: 18 April, 2006 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Boy (from the album Cowboy) 2: Piano Song (from the album Wild!) 3: Stay With Me (from the album Erasure) 4: Spiralling (from the album Circus) 5: Home (from the album Chorus) 6: Tenderest Moments (Run to the Sun b-side) 7: Alien (from the album Loveboat) 8: Blues Away (from the album I Say I Say I Say) 9: How Many Times (from the album Wild!) 10: Love Affair (from the album Cowboy) 11: Rock Me Gently (from the album Erasure)

Editoral Review Union Street is the sound of the British synth-pop duo--Andy Bell and Vince Clarke--unplugged. Erasure with dobro, mandolin, and steel guitar? Believe it. The title comes from the Brooklyn studio in which they re-recorded 11 lesser-known tracks from throughout their career. Ten come from seven albums, while "Tenderest Moments" was a B-side. Designed more for slow dancing than disco dancing, this acoustic set puts the focus on the lyrics and Bell's ardent, yearning voice. Highlights include "Stay With Me," which is graced by a lovely flute solo, and the gospel-tinged "Rock Me Gently," with Jill Walsh providing heavenly counterpoint (both from 1995's Erasure). "Blues Away" (1994's I Say I Say I Say), however, would've worked better without the falsetto, while "How Many Times" (1989's Wild!), ironically, would've worked better in a higher register (Bell is at his best in his natural range). Overall, though, Erasure make this unexpected departure work. If the songs weren't strong enough to begin with, it wouldn't have been worth the effort, but they withstand the changes Bell and Clarke have have put them through quite nicely. --Kathleen C. Fennessy .. You can see a complete list of all Erasure discography, or go back to the Erasure tabs