Truly enjoying this album really depends on whether or not you can handle Erasure, and if you have been able to do so consistently over the past 20 years. They push the limits quite often; one can’t be sure if they’re electronica, techno, rock or pop. I know I can’t. But I like them anyway. Of course, with a title like Other People’s Songs, a compilation of covers from Peter Gabriel to the Righteous Brothers to Elvis, success might be tricky.

Well, Andy Bell and Vince Clark pull it off pretty well. Starting with "Solsbury Hill," an all time fave for most, Erasure uses the electro-synth and pop sounds that are typical of the duo. Even the saddest of songs sounds like pop flavor. The bubble-gum-but-not-too- sweet sounds continue on Buddy Holly’s "Everyday," already an upbeat track.

You might worry about a male covering the Ronettes, but Bell pulls it off (as he has for the past 2 decades, right?) with "Walking In The Rain," backed up by female vocals and something of a trip-hop beat. Because I love "Can’t Help Falling In Love" and have heard strange but melodic remixes from other rock/pop groups like U2, my ear was most critical during this particular listening. What’s interesting is that you notice on this track, as with many others, that the beats are masterful enough to throw under a d’n’b tune now and then, but the synths really prevent you from taking that thought much further.

"You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’" opens with quite a strange dark sound reminiscent of a digeridoo, and it is slightly disconcerting. Halfway through the song, though, the beats get even more strange in a way that is just too experimental, even for Clarke, and I’m quite tempted to move on to the final track, "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. This song is already weird, and nothing can ever really make it more so. It would seem that Clarke uses the original intro vocals from the Buggles, but it’s hard to tell as Bell has the ability to mirror higher voices in general. A good album overall, but I still crave the original Erasure a la "Respect."

Yasmin Tabi