to recording Black Cherry. The album focuses more heavily on dance music and glam rock-inspired synthesisers than its predecessor, and is influenced by Spanish disco group Baccara and Swedish techno artist Håkan Lidbo. Goldfrapp commented that the album differs from Felt Mountain because the band "wanted to put more kind of 'oomph' in it." She stated that the lyrics are "a lot more direct and…less ambiguous." The songs on Black Cherry are more forthright in describing sexuality than those on Felt Mountain. Critical reception Black Cherry received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on 22 reviews. Uncut praised the change in the duo's musical direction, concluding, "I doubt there'll be many better albums released this year." Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called the album "laudable, challenging and immensely enjoyable". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine opined, "Whether it be soothing techno-ballads [...] or custom-made clubs tracks [...], Goldfrapp know how to draw you in and, more importantly, hook you." Rolling Stones Pat Blashill noted that "[t]ons of bands imitate the sounds of the early Eighties, but Goldfrapp use New Wave as a way to evoke a long history of shiny Euro-lounge music." Spin commented that on Black Cherry, the duo "downplay the 'cinematic' strings in favor of buzzing live-wire synths. And singer Alison Goldfrapp still wails like Kate Bush haunting a fog-soaked moor." Mojo praised the album as "lucid and ambiguous... beautifully schizophrenic and poised on the edge of ruin". Dorian Lynskey of Blender wrote, "Although a few tracks retain Felt Mountains eerie beauty, Black Cherrys natural habitat is less supper club than strip club, and Goldfrapp sound right at home." Andy Hermann of PopMatters viewed Black Cherry as "a weird, edgy album, the work of two doggedly maverick talents chasing their muses wherever they take them". Wes May of About.com dubbed it a "rare electronica album of warmth and depth" and "the ultimate chillout pleasure". Drowned in Sounds Gen Williams expressed that the album's "crystalline, neon-edged beauty, its pulsing army of beats and Alison's lush, lethargically versatile vocals, swinging between sultry and seraphic throughout, make it—for now at least—a largely satisfying record that indicates imminent and deserved success for Goldfrapp." Q deemed the album "thoroughly likeable" despite its "inconsistency". In a mixed review, Heather Phares of