Following the commercial and critical success of The Innocents, Erasure sidestepped slightly on Wild!, with slightly mixed results. On the one hand, the by-now-established Erasure song formula resulted in a number of tunes sounding like revamps of earlier numbers, diminishing the overall impact. How Many Times? is a ballad by numbers, while, some amusing bitchiness from Bell aside, 2000 Miles is nice but a timekiller. One or two other cuts fall into this category, making Wild! something of a choppy affair at best. On the other hand, Erasure tries stretching its most since the orchestrated rerecordings on The Two-Ring Circus, often with great success. Drama! has a slightly hysterical tone to it, but its strong dancefloor surge and weirdly droning backing Bell harmonies help make it another winner. The gangshout /vocals (background) are also a kick as well -- especially as they were provided in part, via an uncredited appearance, by the Jesus and Mary Chain! You Surround Me is another flat-out winner -- it's another slow ballad, but with big, echoing backing that adds a sense of extra theatricality. Other strong numbers include the relatively low key pulse of Blue Savannah, which sounds like a light motorik/Kraftwerk number given the appropriate Erasure sparkle, and the charging Brother and Sister, with a sharp synth hook and chorus. Beginning and ending with versions of Piano Song, the latter letting Bell get in some of his best singing, Wild! is a mixed but still worthy affair. ~ Ned Raggett, Rovi

1		Piano Song [Instrumental]
2		Blue Savannah
3		Drama!
4		How Many Times?
5		Star
6		La Gloria
7		You Surround Me
8		Brother and Sister
9		2,000 Miles
10		Crown of Thorns
11		Piano Song

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