Audio Mixers: Timo Kaukolampi; Pete Hofmann; Yngve Saetre; Veikka Ercola.

Photographer: Magnus Unnar.

Arranger: Annie.

In 1999, Annie and her boyfriend/producer, Erot, made a slippery-sexy single called "The Greatest Hit." Though it came out of Norway, it sounded more than a little American, sampling Madonna's "Everybody" while also echoing the nonchalant ecstasy of Patrice Rushen's "Forget Me Nots." It didn't take off, at least not in the traditional sense. It floated around the underground, saw release on labels in different territories, and eventually became a pseudo-secret smash. Within a couple years, dancers and DJs in a few countries began to wonder what became of Annie. Erot's life was claimed by a heart defect in 2001; his partner, quite understandably, went quiet for a while. She picked herself up, took a very active role in the Bergen, Norway, music community, and recorded Anniemal with production help from Richard X, Röyksopp, and Op:L Bastards' Timo Kaukolampi. "The Greatest Hit," thankfully reprised here, is indicative of the album as a whole, bursting with sparkling melodies (often spiked with just a hint of melancholy) over mostly danceable rhythms that are either wholly modern or mischievously referential to early-'80s club hits (Tom Tom Club, the Human League, Arthur Russell's Dinosaur L). Annie's voice might be a little thin, but that's no real factor when it's so sweet and likable. The topics -- teasing, aching, longing -- aren't unfamiliar, yet they're often dealt with in a clever manner. Take "Chewing Gum," in which a dumped boy gets sort of objectified and verbally slain at the same time ("You think you're chocolate when you're chewing gum"), or "The Greatest Hit," containing the most foolproof come-on you could ever give a record geek ("C'mon, baby, you're my greatest hit"). As cunning as it is, Anniemal is also deeply affecting. "Heartbeat" is the least resistible of all, glowing with anticipatory pulses, tremulous sighs, and quivering electric piano vamps. ~ Andy Kellman

The 2005 Stateside release of the debut album by Norwegian singer Annie was a while in the works. Her first single, the gleaming, Madonna-sampling "Greatest Hit" came out in 1999, and became an underground hit, after which Annie began work with a host of producers to put together her 12-track full-length. The results were worth the wait. A lush, carefully prepared banquet of electronic dance pop, ANNIEMAL includes elements of IDM, Top 40 girl pop, early-'80s underground dance, and contemporary club music, all synthesized in a way that, in addition to seeming nearly effortless, is immediately appealing.

The lead-off track, "Chewing Gum," is a case in point. The bright, sing-song chorus is buoyed by a bouncing, mid-tempo groove that recalls Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love" and is no less infectious. Comparisons to "Lucky Star"-era Madonna ("Me Plus One") and Bjork ("Helpless Fool for Love") are not far off the mark, but Annie's overall sound is refreshingly original, especially on her modernizations of disco ("Greatest Hit") and new wave ("Heartbeat"). No one is likely to mistake Annie for a technically advanced vocalist, or ANNIEMAL for a groundbreaking statement, but what's admirable about this release is its lack of pretension. This is smart, well-made dance pop that pushes all the right pleasure buttons.