Essence
- A Guy Called Gerald
- Band Name: A Guy Called Gerald
- Record Label: Stud!o K7
- Release Date: Aug 29, 2000
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90Essence is the album Roni Size's Breakbeat Era hoped to be, a song-based, drum 'n' bass epic that works on many levels.
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80Gerald ups the ante again, incorporating astounding vocalists, intricate bass and drum patterns, and mood-altering melodies and tones to take the electronic dance community by storm.
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He's created a bona-fide pop album--smokingly soulful, sure, but armed to the teeth with hooks and refrains, radio-ready and simultaneously transcendent. [#147, p.84]
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80This isn't just pop-inflected electronica: Gerald's compositions evince a depth and artistic integrity rare in albums of this ilk.
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80The stance on Essence is less confrontational than its precursor, more a life-affirming offering to elemental forces. [#79, p.128]
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80The sound may be five years old, but Essence's insistence that jungle left something valuable behind back in '95 is a major part of its appeal. [Sept. 2000]
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Gerald's mastery of his own sound and style generally triumphs over his occasional lapses in focus.
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Though his solo tracks are fine compositions, its when Gerald mixes the dark drum'n'bass beats with sultry elements and star female vocals, does his production come alive and the album become worthwhile.
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60An LP of sleek, sophisticated and teasingly soulful tunes. Eerily introverted one moment, warm and open the next, Essence demands attention but makes for an intriguing, rewarding experience.
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56Infuriatingly sub-standard...