Ever since I first heard "A Little Respect" on the radio more than 25 years ago, I've loved Erasure. Their new album is really quite good. I'll let someone else say it better :)
Review by David Jeffries (as it appears on allmusic.com):
Following a holiday album (2013's Snow Globe) with this "return to form" album means veteran duo Erasure are now on the cliched career revival path for aging pop stars, but maybe it's just by chance. Make that "likely," as The Violet Flame gets right down to dancey, inspired business on its opening "Dead of Night," a track that pumps with the beat of any given single off the duo's great 1989 album Wild!. Classic lyrics from Andy Bell speak to the morality play that club night can be ("Too many times you're forgiven/Now you cry like you're the victim") then the chorus is like a pair of bright red cha-cha heels (a joyful stuttering of "D-d-d-dead of night") that won't be ignored. If hearing Bell in his Maleficent costume is a decadent kind of delicious, he's still an excellent Sleeping Beauty as well, as the pumping "Paradise" welcomes a new soul mate with open arms and open heart. Synth man Vince Clarke is simpatico in these back-to-the-future surroundings, as the great "Be the One" sounds like he plundered the computer and found some early sketches of Yaz's "Only You." while "Under the Wave" could be seamlessly mixed with all the minimal bleeping and blooping on Depeche Mode's debut album Speak & Spell, also known as Clarke's last hurrah with the band. The big anthem this time out is "Elevation," a cut with the simplicity of Robin S's "Show Me Love" and lyrics preaching freedom to the dancing masses ("It makes you kinda wonder, what are we supposed to do/When the fate of many, is guided by the hand of few/Who-o-oa."), then there's the closing "Stayed a Little Late Last Night" and the heart-breaking "Smoke and Mirrors," both serving the roles of a soul-filling number that sticks to the bones. With all the elements in place, the late-era The Violet Flame sits on the top shelf of Erasure albums, and considering all the greatness in the back catalog, that's no easy task.
One of the prettiest tracks off the album is called "Sacred" :
We close our eyes and fantasise
Speaking of pretty music, one of the most sincere and touching songs ever recorded surely has to be "You Are So Beautiful" as performed by Joe Cocker (Billy Preston and Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson actually wrote it):
"Featuring a brilliantly slowed-down arrangement courtesy of producer Jim Price, Preston's 'You Are So Beautiful' became this impossibly gorgeous exploration of love's fragility in Cocker's hands. Every crack in his voice spiders up toward another underlying doubt. In a twist, Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys later claimed co-authorship of the song."
Read More: Top 10 Joe Cocker Songs | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/joe-cocker-songs/?trackback=tsmclip
One of the prettiest tracks off the album is called "Sacred" :
We close our eyes and fantasise
To see what dreams
will come alive
Our created energy
runs through
When we connect our
consciousness
Make our love a
guiding light
And I am there in
every part of you
Never feel that
you're alone
Hold on tight and
I'll be strong
In spite of all the
things we've done
Our love is all
Sacred
Sacred
We pray for love and deeper meaning
Holding our emotions in
Would only keep us prisoners inside
We let our minds and hearts release us
Pure intention sets us free
And there is nowhere left for us to hide
Never feel that you're alone
Hold on tight and I'll be strong
In spite of all the things we've done
Our love is all
Sacred like a thousand stars
Sacred when I'm in your arms
Oh you keep me safe from harm
Our love is all
This is all we ever needed
all we ever needed
Sacred
 |
| from etsy.com |
Read More: Top 10 Joe Cocker Songs | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/joe-cocker-songs/?trackback=tsmclip
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