Fridae

The bad news: On first listen, Electric Blue, Andy Bell's first solo outing, lacks the immediate poptastic appeal one has come to expect of any Erasure release and sounds as if the flamboyant half of Erasure has been raiding the band's rejected catalogue.

The good news: The 41-year-old singer no longer belts out songs in the high-pitched voice that makes him sound like a pubescent cheerleader who had just spotted her dream outfit at the local mall - and Electric Blue does grow on the listener after a few spins.

Comprising 13 tracks and one short introduction, the album is perhaps best described as the Euro-disco sounds of Erasure updated for today's clubbing crowd. Co-written with Philip Larsen and Chris Smith from Manhattan Clique, it is filled with disco darling type songs that handbag queens rave about.

Amidst the pulsating beats, the former butcher (yes, Ms Scary finds that hard to believe too) sings explicitly about gay love: "I keep no secrets from you/ Everything is out in the open/ And who I slept with last night/ Makes no difference to us" ("Jealous") and "I can't complain you were so discreet/ Kept your liaisons to yourself/ My soul distraught now I'm getting out" ("Delicious").

Unfortunately, despite the infectious first single "Crazy" and the Motown-inspired "Shaking My Soul," the rest of Electric Blue still comes across as recycled and forgettable dance music - especially the three letdown duets with Claudia Brucken of Propaganda ("Love Oneself" and "Delicious") and Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters ("I Thought It Was You").

Still, Andy Bell and Erasure fans should refrain from thumping their chests in abject disappointment over Electric Blue - after all, Ms Scary has it on good authority that the pop duo will be releasing an acoustic album of their past hits next year.

Scary's Selected Spins: "Caught In A Spin," "Crazy," "Shaking My Soul," "Runaway," "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and "See The Lights Go Out."