Amazon.comNetherlands-born singer Amber's (a.k.a. Marie-Claire Cremers) self-titled album finds an open seat in the school of dance-pop classics. Produced by the Berman Brothers responsible for the overly formulaic Real McCoy album Another Night, this CD reveals the brothers' more inventive potential. The tracks on Amber build out of a classic disco framework, adding currents of trance ("Sexual [Li Da Di]") or techno punctuations ("Don't Wanna Stop"). Occasional acoustic-guitar licks add an organic element to "Above the Clouds" and the dance-mix cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind." Amber digs deep to evoke the R&B soul that flavors her vocals, at her funkiest, emulating Taylor Dayne. She sings of love, peace, and unity with a ring-around-the-roses lyrical simplicity, but hey, this is dance music, not Dylan. Casual fans of Erasure, the Pet Shop Boys, Crystal Waters, or Sunscreem will eat this up. --Beth Massa