Erasure: no prima donna attitude

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RATING: * * * *

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by David Gaskey

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But not all stars lose track of their fans. On Oct. 14, British pop duo Erasure travelled from the United Kingdom to Houston for the sole purpose of hosting an intimate pre-CD release party at Kaboom for their newest album. The event, sponsored by local radio station 104.1 KRBE, featured Andy Bell and Vince Clarke performing a few acoustic versions of songs off their new self-titled CD, Erasure , including the two current singles (the soulful "Stay With Me" and "Fingers and Thumbs") as well as "Always," the hit off their 1994 album, I Say, I Say, I Say.

The duo then did the remarkable, something rarely heard of: They stayed to sign autographs. Vince and Andy were patient with their fans even when the fans couldn't be patient with them. They didn't have the "I wish this would be over"attitude frequently observed in the famous when signing mass autographs.

Erasure is a more intimate album than I Say, I Say, I Say . Many songs on the CD lack the power that the tracks on their previous albums had. Erasure features songs that have a more discordant sound than the last CD. This sound differs from the original style that brought them success in numbers such as "Oh L'Amour," "Chains of Love," "A Little Respect" and "Chorus."

Perhaps more notable than the CD is the personalities of the members of Erasure. Their affability is rare: It makes it worthwhile to support them rather than spending the money on those who believe that they are too big for everyone else.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the November 3, 1995 issue.

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