Following a nearly four-year string of {\club} hits, {$iio}'s debut album was released concurrent with the announcement of the duo's dissolution. It's a pity, because {^Poetica} is an intriguing blend of {\club}-oriented {\dance} beats and a surprising amount of pure {\pop} songwriting smarts. Producer and songwriter {$Markus Moser} knows his way around a sequencer, but rather than letting a bunch of {\electronic} pulses run for six or seven minutes apiece, {$Moser} has taken an approach similar to early {$Saint Etienne}: these are conventionally structured {\pop} songs first and {\dance} tracks second. The gathered single sides, {&"Kiss You,"} {&"Rapture,"} {&"Smooth,"} and {&"At the End,"} are here in new and more {\pop}-oriented mixes that show off not only {$Moser}'s knack for melody, but also the duo's key asset: singer {$Nadia Ali}'s alluring purr of a voice. Not one for diva-style showiness, {$Ali} favors the {$Dusty Springfield} model of seemingly effortless {\soul}, and the best songs here -- the outstanding {&"Is It Love"} foremost among those not already released as singles -- are {\dance-pop} of the highest caliber. On the hypnotic, {\trancey} epic {&"Chastity,"} {$Moser} throws a bone to {\club/dance} purists, but for the most part {^Poetica} is a {\pop} record, and a fine one. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide