Nearly a decade after
Eurythmics
went on an unannounced, virtually unnoticed hiatus in 1990,
Annie Lennox
and
Dave Stewart
returned with the heavily publicized
Peace
. Both
Lennox
Stewart
had been silent since 1995, which means that reuniting really wasn't a sacrifice, since their solo careers had stalled. In fact, it was a wise idea to re-team, both commercially and artistically, since their best and most popular music was made together. What's odd is that
strongly resembles
's
Diva
. True,
were moving toward the melodramatic grandeur of
on their final '80s album,
We Too Are One
, yet they still had an innate sense of quirkiness and a desire to take risks. In 1999, they're more about craft, which only emphasizes the maturity of the music. That's not entirely a bad thing, even if it means that
needs a couple of spins before the songs begin to register.
know how to write gently insinuating melodies and how to layer their tracks with small sonic details, weaving lush tapestries of sound.
keeps its alluring mood throughout; even when they attempt to revisit their
Stones
-y tendencies, the songs play as sleekly and smoothly as the ballads that dominate the record. In one sense, that's good, because it means that
keeps a consistent tone from front to back, but it also means that most of the songs blend together. There are no standout singles here, and that's the hardest thing to accept about the record since
were one of the best singles bands of the '80s. Even so,
is a successful debut for
, Mark II -- it's classy adult pop, delivered with style and grace. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine