Review

When the news broke that Erasure’s effervescent frontman was venturing solo once more, eyebrows were raised (not least because plenty of us assumed that, by now, Bell would have hung up his metaphorical mic). Yet here we have *Ten Crowns*, a wily, warm-hearted collection that reminds us why Andy Bell still deserves a place in pop’s gilded hall of fame. From the moment “Breaking Thru the Interstellar” ignites with its stratospheric synth swirls, Bell makes it clear: this is no pale imitation of late-’80s hi-NRG. Producer Dave Audé’s fingerprints are all over the production—crisp without ever losing soul—and Bell’s voice, that honeyed tenor so familiar to Erasure devotees, sounds both comforting and emboldened. There’s a hint of gospel in the backing vocals here, channelling the triumphant spirit of the record’s central theme: overcoming adversity with joy. It would have been easy to slip into self-parody by name-checking every disco cliché in the book, but Bell resists the temptation. “Don’t Cha Know,” a mid-tempo nugget that pulses with gentle funk and a lyric that reads like a pep talk, sits neatly alongside the more ecstatic stomp of “Dance for Mercy,” whose laboured beat and catchy refrain (“Lift your hands, we’ll dance for mercy!”) somehow feel both anthemic and intimate. Standout guest spots arrive courtesy of Debbie Harry on “Heart’s a Liar,” where Blondie’s icy cool dovetails charmingly with Bell’s warmth, and rising star Sarah Potenza on the sleeker, more brooding “Lies So Deep.” Rather than feel tacked-on, these duets enhance the album’s sense of community—you sense Bell singing not just for himself, but for every listener who’s ever had to pick themselves up and dust themselves off. Recorded in Nashville, the fair city famous for its country roots, *Ten Crowns* nods towards southern soul without ever donning a cowboy hat: subtle Hammond organ here, a touch of gospel-inflected piano there. Yet it never feels disjointed from Bell’s electro pedigree; if anything, it’s an evolution—further proof that good pop is about ideas as much as beats. In an age when nostalgia tours and heritage acts dominate headlines, *Ten Crowns* is a reminder that veteran artists can still surprise us. Bell is singing of personal demons—homophobia, health scares, the mundane cruelties of everyday life—and yet he offers no dirges here, only affirmation. It’s a record that wants you to dance, yes, but even more so, to feel. Whether you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Erasure disciple or a curious newcomer, *Ten Crowns* demands your attention. And by its close, you’ll find yourself not just tapping a toe, but lifting your own metaphorical crown—one more buoyed by Bell’s unshakeable optimism than by any disco kick.