Ten Crowns

After back-to-back Top Ten albums in his native U.K. with Erasure, Andy Bell delivers his first solo album in 15 years, Ten Crowns. The title was inspired by the Ten of Coins tarot card. Primarily a dance LP, theres a gospel flavor to the some of the tracks that was partly inspired by recording it in Nashville among the citys plethora of churches. He went there to work with dance hitmaker Dave Aude, who produced the album in track-by-track fashion over the course of 12 years. Other touches surrounding religious themes include the opening church organ on "Dawn of Heavens Gate," and the musical-theater-informed "Godspell," although a closer examination of the songs reveals personal and world-weary topics like overcoming health issues, enduring liars, and a notable loss of empathy in others. First, though, Ten Crowns starts off with "Breaking Thru the Interstellar," an elated rave entry that gets the party started, even if the party turns out to be tinged with regret and melancholy. Another club entry, "Lies So Deep," features Sarah Potenza as well as a chorus thats echoed by deep, robotic processed vocals, one of several tracks here that plays with voice manipulation and samples. One of the more straightforward alternative pop outings on the album offers the only other featured spot; "Hearts a Liar," with none other than Debbie Harry, has Bell lamenting, "Im so broken/And youre so beautiful/But your love is cruel," while the unison chorus wonders, "How do I pull myself together/Now that youre gone?" Other changeups include the disco-injected "Dance for Mercy," the pulsing and effervescent social-media roast "Put Your Empathy on Ice," and perhaps hewing closest to Erasure, "Dont Cha Know," which paints Bell as a "dreamer" and a "schemer" ("And its all so ordinary"). He closes the album with a theatrical, glistening personal statement, "Thank You," which returns to religious themes with a view of the light in the distance accompanied by a chorus. Often earnest, anguished, and euphoric, Ten Crowns delivers the catharsis while keeping it real, so the occasional clunky lyric or corny dance trope can be -- in line with the albums themes -- forgiven, especially when its intentional. ~ Marcy Donelson