Night work.
Jason Stein | San Diego, CA United States | 06/26/2010
(3 out of 5 stars)
"It's been three years since Erasure's last album "Light At The End Of The World", and five years since Andy Bell's solo debut, 2005's "Electric Blue". "Non-stop" is the equivalent to late night drive-thru. Tasty and fattening, but ultimately non-nutritious.
I have to say I liked "Electric Blue" better. Bell definitely goes retro here and with varied success. The best tracks "Running Out", "Subject/Object", "Will You Be There?", "Touch", "Non-stop", "DHDQ" and "Honey If You Love Hime (That's All That Matters)" all have catchy melodies that at the same time feel watered down or muted. The lesser tracks "Call On Me" and "Say What You Want" are electro-disco throwaways that don't really amount to much. The worst track is easily "Slow Release" with its relentless chorus drilling its way into your cranium.
"Non-stop" is Andy Bell having fun, but it's not necessarily fun for his fans. He could have done more to vary the sounds on this album while still retaining a club feel. I think he might have needed a better producer here.
Three and a half stars because it's good, but not up to par with his previous works, and it just falls short of the mark.
Here's how "Non-stop" compares to previous work:
Erasure:
1986 Wonderland: Three and a Half Stars
1987 The Circus: Four Stars
1988 The Innocents: Four Stars
1989 Wild!: Four Stars
1991 Chorus: Five Stars
1994 I Say I Say I Say: Four Stars
1995 Erasure: Four Stars
1997 Cowboy: Four Stars
2000 Loveboat: Three Stars
2003 Other People's Songs: Three Stars
2005 Nightbird: Four Stars
2006 Union Street: Three Stars
2007 Light At The End Of The World: Three Stars
Andy Bell Solo:
2005 Electric Blue: Three and a Half Stars
2010 Non-stop: Three and a Half Stars"
Andy Bell sets the Bar for Dance Music 2010
Johann Pantin | Port of Spain, Trinidad | 06/11/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow, it's the second half of the 80s Supergroup Erasure, giving us a blast from the past,today and beyond! His style of dance sway towards a bit of disco and electro, brings to life his vocal talents seldom attained by few in the business. If you are a fan of 70's Disco, early Petshop Boys & New Order, then work the cd player with the lead single "Call on Me". It's non stop hypno grooves from start to end, just take my word for it, I really get off on the recent releases but wow it's time to applaud the talents of And Bell."
Non-Stop... Uber-CD
Robert H Teachey | Houston, TX, US | 07/21/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Andy Bell has seriously outdone himself. He burst onto the scene as the lead singer for Erasure and has continually upped the game with every collection.
Electric Blue was phenominal and I didn't think he'd ever top that album.
Non-Stop is easily the best CD he's recorded! It's at once relevant and catchy. The songs stick in your head and MAKE you want to listen to them over and over. There's one "ballad" on the CD and I normally skip over ballads... Pop singers should sing upbeat pop... not soggy ballads. However, Slow Release is just strange enough, and the words so personal, that it made me stop and play it again... and then again. It's the one ballad on a pop album that I don't skip over!
Lyrically, he's always been far above any other singer. His words stand alone as prose, but when put to the catchy syncopation and quirky synth arrangements, his phrasing creates whole new levels to the words...
It's one of those CDs to which I will never tire of listening!
And if Bell ever reads this... Keep recording... NON-STOP! No time off... No vacations! Get back in the studio now! We need more more more!
"