Jamie Lidell - Compass Reviewed
July 8th 2010 09:33
Jamie Lidell: a man of many genres
Jamie Lidell (born in Cambridge, England, in 1973, but now based in New York, USA) is a true genre-hopping musician. Having been associated with styles such as electronic/techno, pop/rock, and funk/soul, he has thrown it all together, along with a number of notable accomplices on his fourth full-length studio album, Compass.
COMPASS: Rating....8.5/10
Jamie Lidell has said that Compass is a rougher production than previous albums. He has previously explored the genre of pop and this time has come up with a soul/indie record. It takes time to get used to, and it is not an album you can understand just by listening to the best songs off it. Lidell is a truely exceptional vocalist (as well as his unique 'soul' singing, he also contributes beat boxing, vocal layering, and vocal effects). Compass is likely to be remembered as Lidell's collaboration with other notable musicians, with this list of contributors:
-- Beck Hansen - Co-production, backing vocals, guitar, synths.
-- Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) - Co-production, co-mixing, bass, guitar, synths, percussion, wind instruments.
-- Daniel Rossen (Grizzly Bear) - Guitar
-- Chris Bear (Grizzly Bear) - Drums, percussion.
-- Leslie Feist - Backing vocals, guitar, percussion.
-- James Gadson (session musician rumoured to have played on 300 different Gold records) - Drums.
Plus many others.
For an album with such notable company, it is still not hard to love the music for what it is. It opens magnificently with the rock-y Completely Exposed and funky Your Sweet Boom, while other strong songs include blues/soul tracks I Wanna Be Your Telephone and Enough's Enough. Lidell's voice is always strong and confident, and his songwriting has evolved from previous albums.
Overall, a fantastic record that anyone can enjoy if given the time.
Bren.
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