Black Cherry

EDITORIAL REVIEWS
Goldfrapp return with their new album BLACK CHERRY following the worldwide success of their debut FELT MOUNTAIN. BLACK CHERRY was written and recorded over the last 12 months by the British duo of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory. The magic of Goldfrapp's appeal is still potent and suggestive with the mystery, the sense of something below the surface, being just tantalizingly out of reach. With BLACK CHERRY, they entwined classic songwriting with the most abstract of modern music, making a bold statement in an increasingly fractured world.

REVIEW
(Mute) The perpetual dilemma that follows releasing a spectacular debut like 2000's Felt Mountain is the expectation of a worthy follow-up. Much of the anticipation leading up to Black Cherry came from wondering how Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory would pull this off: to replicate their art-hop masterpiece or fall into the disastrous sophomore slump.The two settled on a sound heavily steeped in the current electro revival as a foundation for Goldfrapp's icy vocals. It's more Siouxsie Sioux than Eartha Kitt with Gregory, abandoning the haunting Ennio Morricone-style scores, still managing to work the arrangements as cinematic with a synth-heavy, electro template. "Tiptoe" is like Portishead on acid; "Slippage" a slowed, industrial burner with a crushing beat and beautiful, lyric-less vocals. Unfortunately, these tracks lie on what is an inconsistent effort, and much of what's found here is fairly pop-tinged. Far from forgettable, Black Cherry falls a bit short of the sum of its parts but is valuable for its more daring numbers.

Tony Bogdanovski -- From URB Magazine