Things have not been straightforward for Norway's electropop starlet Annie since the release of her debut album, Anniemal, over four years ago. Press copies of follow-up Don't Stop were already doing the rounds 12 months ago when Annie 'parted ways' with Island Records. The album was caught up in major label bureaucracy and though a number of the tracks existed in the murky depths of the filesharing fraternity, it seemed the album as a whole was lost.

Originally scheduled for a 2007 release, Annie’s follow-up to 2004’s Annimal finally hits shelves and desktops in late 2009. The period in between saw the nearly inevitable leak of an album that resembles, but is ultimately inferior to, the finished product. After all the delays, the wait was worth it: Don’t Stop exudes polish, depth, and the sense that Annie is moving confidently forward as a pop artist of the first order.