Don't Stop (Annie album)
Don't Stop is the second studio album by Norwegian singer Annie. Originally intended for a 2008 release on UK-based label Island Records, the planned release date was pushed back. Annie left Island for independent Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound, which released a revised version of the album in October 2009.

Don't Stop received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album features production work from previous collaborators Timo Kaukolampi and Richard X, as well as Xenomania and Paul Epworth.

Background
In May 2008, Popjustice called the album "a complete modern masterpiece", revealed the title (Don't Stop) and gave the first track listing. Pitchfork posted a different track listing two months later, which excluded a track entitled "Perfectly Honest", while "Misery" was renamed "I Can't Let Go".

Girls Aloud initially provided backing vocals for "My Love Is Better". Annie received tabloid attention when various publications wrote that Girls Aloud requested "My Love Is Better" be removed from the album. Producer Brian Higgins was reported to have included vocal tracks from a Girls Aloud demo in the song without their permission. Annie told Digital Spy in an interview that "it's not as dramatic as they said in the papers", citing problems with the record company. "Brian asked them if they'd like to help out. They were really up for it and came into my studio and it was really fun." The issue was resolved and the song remained on Annie's album.

Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy of Franz Ferdinand play guitar on "Loco". "I Can't Let Go" features guest vocals from Fredrik Saroea of Datarock. The album cover shows Annie wearing a dress by French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.

Promotion and release
The first single was initially going to be a cover of Stacey Q's 1986 song "Two of Hearts", backed with "Songs Remind Me of You". The release was listed as "still forthcoming" on producer Richard X's official website during a period of time. It was suggested that the album could see an April 2008 release.

A sampler album was released in April for promotional purposes, containing the songs "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me", "My Love Is Better", "When the Night", "Marie Cherie" and "Songs Remind Me of You". A megamix containing samples of the album's songs was subsequently released.

Prior to the release of "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me", "Loco" was released as a digital-only single. The album's actual first single "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" was released on 14 July 2008. The song was described as "sweet, scrumptious electropop" by Digital Spy. Pitchfork wrote that the song had "the slinky electro-pop strut" of Saint Etienne and Annie's previous single "Chewing Gum". The music video, directed by Sarah Chatfield, appeared online in late April 2008.

On 22 September 2008, Annie's manager Kathrine Synnes told Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet that the album's release had been postponed to 2009 so that Island Records could spend more time on the album.

Annie reported in a Myspace blog post on 8 October 2008 that "Two of Hearts" would be released as the next single from Don't Stop on 27 October 2008 but was cancelled last minute due to legal issues with Island Records. The following month, Annie left Island Records, taking the masters of the album with her. She subsequently announced that Don't Stop would be released in 2009 with a different track listing from the one leaked onto the Internet.

The album finally saw a release on 19 October 2009 with a revised track listing and new artwork. New songs "Hey Annie", title track "Don't Stop" and "I Don't Like Your Band" were added to the album's final track listing. "I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me" and "Anthonio" were released on a bonus disc, titled All Night EP, among "Sweet", "I Can't Let Go" and new song "All Night".

According to Nielsen SoundScan, Don't Stop had sold 6,000 copies in the United States as of August 2013.

Critical reception

Don't Stop received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on 22 reviews. Joseph Brannigan Lynch of Entertainment Weekly described the album as "a savvy mix of energetic early-'80s synth-pop and indie electronic", noting that Annie is "as close to LCD Soundsystem as to Kylie Minogue. Her vocals switch between seen-it-all sass and breathy melancholy with convincing ease." The Guardians Michael Hann praised it as "a delightful confection, filled with attention to detail and perfectly turned—and deserving of your attention." The A.V. Clubs Michaelangelo Matos referred to the album's music as "high-grade, glossy electro-pop, heavily indebted to the '80s." BBC Music reviewer Ian Wade stated that "Don't Stop is 12 slices of sublime pop genius, and one ranks right up there with the best contemporary female pop." Michael Cragg of musicOMH raved, "Featuring some of the most inventive producers in pop and steered by a singer who knows her way round a catchy melody or five, Don't Stop is one of the best pop albums of 2009." Drowned in Sound's David Renshaw called the album "brilliant", adding that "[t]he production throughout Don't Stop is noticeably strong. The sound is taught and modern but avoids the current pitfalls of sounding like a prime cut of Stock, Aitken and Waterman Eighties chart fodder or a Timbaland reject circa the year 2001".

Christopher Muther of The Boston Globe viewed the album as "an electro-pop truffle—a tasty confection with a hard, glossy shell surrounding a smooth, melt-in-your-ear interior of cheeky, playful lyrics", while commending Annie for her "incredible knack for marrying Pat Benatar's lip-gloss feminist swagger with playful dance-club melodies." AllMusic critic Andy Kellman wrote, "As on Anniemal, Don't Stop contains some of the catchiest, most clever dance-pop in circulation, highlighted by the fizzy 'I Don't Like Your Band'", but argued that the collaborations with Xenomania, Timo Kaukolampi and Richard X "aren't as powerful, [...] with a good handful of their songs no match for Anniemals weaker moments." Rolling Stones Will Hermes commented that the album "refines [Annie's] Euro-disco with more flavors and fewer hooks. Still, the music remains rapturous and cheeky." PopMatters' Craig Carson expressed that the album "exudes polish, depth, and the sense that Annie is moving confidently forward as a pop artist of the first order", concluding, "All tracks considered, Annie makes a significant step forward with Don't Stop." Ailbhe Malone of the NME noted that "[t]hough production is split three ways between Xenomania, Paul Epworth and Timo Kaukolampi, the record is all Annie's own." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine opined that while Xenomania's contributions are "largely hit or miss", "the album's true highlights, not surprisingly, belong to Timo Kaukolampi and Richard X, the pair responsible for the bulk of Annie's debut". Matthew Perpetua of Pitchfork felt that "[n]ot every song on Don't Stop or its bonus All Night EP is a classic, but Annie's good taste has yielded another fine crop of pop tunes."

Track listing

My Love Is Better

"My Love Is Better" is a song by Norwegian recording artist Annie from her second studio album, Don't Stop (2009). Released as the album's second single on 9 October 2009, the track originally had featured backing vocals by Girls Aloud. "My Love Is Better" was re-released on 15 March 2010 as a 12" single.

Girls Aloud controversy
"My Love Is Better" initially featured backing vocals by British pop group Girls Aloud. Annie received tabloid attention when various publications wrote that Girls Aloud requested "My Love Is Better" be removed from the album. Producer Brian Higgins was reported to have included vocal tracks from a Girls Aloud demo in the song without their permission. Annie told Digital Spy in an interview that "it's not as dramatic as they said in the papers", citing problems with the record company. "Brian asked them if they'd like to help out. They were really up for it and came into my studio and it was really fun." The issue was resolved and the song remained on Annie's album. She continued, "of course their record company said no and they ended up not singing on the song after all. I thought it was a little bit stupid but what can you say? It wasn't my choice. They were really nice, very sweet."

Track listing
iTunes single
"My Love Is Better" – 3:19
"My Love Is Better" (Emperor Machine Vocal Mix) – 6:08

2010 12" single
"My Love Is Better" (Original Version)
"My Love Is Better" (Emperor Machine Vocal Mix)
"My Love Is Better" (Emperor Machine Instrumental)	
"My Love Is Better" (Sukh Knight Remix)
"My Love Is Better" (Justin Robertson Remix)

Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Don't Stop.

 Annie – vocals ; production ; design, front cover
 Blank Blank – design, front cover
 Nick Coler – guitar ; keyboards ; programming 
 Richard Edgeler – technician 
 Paul Epworth – production 
 Ercola – programming 
 Matt Gray – programming ; mixing 
 Petri Henriksson – photography
 Brian Higgins – keyboards, production, programming ; mixing 
 Pete Hofmann – mixing 
 Jenny Jansson – hair, make-up
 Alex Kapranos – guitar 
 Timo Kaukolampi – production ; programming 
 Tomi Leppänen – drums 

 Nick McCarthy – guitar 
 Nina Merikallio – front cover, photography
 Owen Parker – guitar ; keyboards 
 Aki Pekka-Sinikoski – photography
 Mari Persen – violin 
 Tim Powell – keyboards ; programming ; mixing 
 Richard X – backing vocals, production 
 Hannah Robinson – backing vocals 
 Yngve Sætre – violin arrangements ; programming 
 Chris Sanders – marching drums 
 Geoff Sanoff – programming 
 Toby Scott – programming 
 Mintu Vesala – styling
 Jeremy Wheatley – mixing 
 Xenomania – production 

Additional personnel for All Night EP

 Annie – vocals ; production 
 Nick Coler – guitar, programming 
 Paul Epworth – production 
 Ercola – programming ; additional programming 
 Matt Gray – mixing 
 Brian Higgins – keyboards, mixing, production 
 Pete Hofmann – mixing 
 James Iha – boogie guitars 
 Timo Kaukolampi – programming ; production 

 Petri Kautto – guitar 
 Owen Parker – guitar 
 Tim Powell – additional programming ; keyboards, mixing, programming 
 Richard X – production 
 Hannah Robinson – backing vocals 
 Yngve Sætre – additional programming 
 Geoff Sanoff – additional programming 
 Fredrik Saroea – guest vocals 
 Xenomania – production

Charts

Release history