Critical Quote The pair may be one of the most mismatched odd couples in pop,
but their chemistry here - whether on the intimate Breathe or the
va-va-voom eroticism of Don't Say You Love Me - is as strong as ever.
Covering a range of emotions from the exuberant to the reflective,
Nightbird is an eloquent achievement - two frontline showbusiness
troopers showing they haven't lost their hunger or intelligence.
- The Daily Mirror
Onge Review
Twenty years after forming, Andy and Vince proved they are far from
finished by releasing their first album of original songs since 2000's
Loveboat. The gospel No Doubt opens the
album in sensational style. Andy's vocals are superbly pitched on
this melodic ballad and naturally are perfectly supported by Vince's
understated arrangement. A fabulous opening to the album. The first
of many long-titled tracks, Here I Go Impossible Again,
follows. The song is about having a fight with your partner because
making-up again is so pleasurable. This track is excellently paced
and has an extremely memorable melody making for a fine overall listening
experience. The sublime Let's Take One More Rocket To The
Moon is next up. The track is an epic vocal delight with
Andy having rarely sounded better as he sings his sweet lovelorn lyrics.
Vince's arrangement reflects the sentiment of the lyrics perfectly
allowing the lullaby nature of the song to shine through. A stunning
song. Next up is Breathe, which was the first single
from this album. Never has a more perfect example of exemplary song
pacing, vocals and synth backdrop been woven. Andy's lyrics are simple
but ever-so-effective and are performed brilliantly over Vince's awesome
key-changing arrangement. Shiver-inducing and easily Erasure's
best song for some time and fully deserving of reaching #4 in the
UK Singles Chart. Jill Walsh's backing vocals are also faultless in
this truly superb song. The soaring I'll Be There
follows and is a track that doesn't really fit in with the rest of
the album. Vince's pseudo-80s arrangement is kitsch enough to be enjoyable
and the vocal melody is reminiscent of the Cowboy album,
which is certainly a good thing, but the song is devoid of any backing
vocals at all and as every other track has rich, deep backing vocals
it makes this track seem a little naked. Catchy and enjoyable it might
be, but it still seems incongruous.
The album then slows for the ballad Because Our Love Is Real.
The simple arrangement works very well in this song about the joys
of love and companionship. Not the most memorable track on the album
by any means, but still an enjoyable listen. Don't Say You
Love Me is another example of this album's beautiful vocals
and well structured synths. Some of Andy's lyrics aren't so hot on
this track, but all is forgiven as the terrific chorus will send shivers
down the spine of the listener. Once more Andy's vocals are superb,
cementing my claim he one of the best singer in the industry. A very
good song, but perhaps a strange choice as the second single from
the album. All This Time Still Falling Out Of Love
is perhaps the only real dance floor up-tempo track on the entire
album. Despite it's promising introduction, the song never reaches
the its potential. The melody is excellent as usual but the chorus
doesn't really climax in the way it perhaps could have done. It's
still a very good track indeed, but sadly falls short of being an
Erasure classic. I
Broke It All In Two follows and is probably the weakest track
on a strong album. The vocals are excellently pitched over a fine
mellow arrangement but the song is badly let down by the lyrics and
the unsatisfying chorus. It is by no means a terrible song, but could
have been much better. The anthemic Sweet Surrender
is next up, and despite a slightly dated sounding backdrop from Vince,
is a brilliant song. Lyrically Andy expresses disdain over the conflict
in Iraq, but it is the contagious melody and vocals that make this
such a gratifying aural experience. An excellent track which you will
find yourself humming for hours on end. The album concludes with the
awesome I Bet You're Mad At Me. Superb from start
to finish, this is one of Erasure's
finest slow ballads which is impossible to fault in any way. Andy
has rarely sounded better and the sentiment of the song is perfectly
captured in Vince's music. A fine ending to a fine album.
Summary Nightbird is an extremely consistent album, with
there not being a single poor track on it. Despite this, the album
doesn't get five stars for one reason: the lyrics. Although generally
very good, the album is almost completely comprised of first-person
songs about the facets of love, which makes the lyrical theme of the
album seem too familiar and almost a little tiresome. However, to
finish this review on a downer would be doing this release a huge
disservice; Nightbird is a superb album and is easily
Erasure's best work
of the Twenty-First Century. Unmissable for fans, new and old.
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