• Record Label: Warp
  • Release Date: Feb 19, 2013
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 32
  2. Negative: 0 out of 32
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Feb 19, 2013
    91
    It doesn’t feel as radically fresh and inventive as his earlier work, but the tradeoff is the high level of craft and confidence that Lidell brings to the proceedings.
  2. Mar 7, 2013
    80
    [A] devilish LP from Jamie Lidell, and sticks a big middle finger to anyone convinced that a Brit could never do an authentic Frank Ocean impression.
  3. Feb 22, 2013
    80
    Overall, Jamie Lidell errs on the side of caution with its inherent love affair with Prince but remains playful and original in almost every other respect, which is what makes it such a cohesive and enjoyable listen.
  4. Feb 22, 2013
    80
    Jamie Lidell is rich and inventive because the producer has the technical chops to bring a far-fetched idea into fruition.
  5. Feb 21, 2013
    80
    Miraculously, this is instead the man's best since Multiply, and his first since Jim to recreate a specific sound in his own image.
  6. Mojo
    Feb 20, 2013
    80
    The music could overwhelm lesser singers but Lidell's astonishing vocals carry it off with remarkable elan. [Mar 2013, p.90]
  7. Feb 19, 2013
    80
    It’s altogether more synchronized, an album that pulls you along into its wonderfully mixed-up world without getting lost.
  8. Feb 19, 2013
    80
    Jamie Lidell is a stunningly entertaining album and an exemplary ode to the good ol' days.
  9. Feb 19, 2013
    80
    Every song has multiple hooks, catching your brain and pulling your toes up and down to the rhythm.
  10. Feb 19, 2013
    80
    What sets Lidell apart from, say, the many pleasant but posturing Justin Timberlakes out there is that Lidell is clearly conversant in the forms others exploit for decorative effects. And with his latest album, Lidell proves himself downright fluent.
  11. Squelchy synths, down-and-dirty basslines, and vocodered vocals stay just the right side of Jamiroquai.
  12. Feb 14, 2013
    80
    This newest electronic funk vision feels like the album we’ve been waiting for.
  13. Feb 13, 2013
    80
    While 2010’s Compass--produced by Beck, and festooned with stellar guests--was about electronic folk and scuzzy pop, this new record’s got the funk.
  14. Mar 18, 2013
    76
    Fans of Lidell (or Prince, for that matter) won’t be challenged, but Jamie Lidell is proof that sometimes execution really is king.
  15. Feb 19, 2013
    72
    Lidell’s chops are fine--he flat-out rips shit up while guesting on Brandt Brauer Frick’s stellar forthcoming album and the more individual-minded tracks on Jamie Lidell hold up with the strongest of his career--but to stay contemporary and competitive, he’s also at a turning point where he has to do more than simply go through the motions.
  16. Uncut
    Mar 29, 2013
    70
    It's very generously produced, with effects bursting from every crevice, but the melodies are (just) strong enough to weather it all. [May 2013, p.73]
  17. Mar 28, 2013
    70
    The constant zipping and zapping of its final five tracks almost cause the album to become bottom heavy, but thankfully the just-right 'So Cold' and the lovely 'Don't You Love Me' keep it from going completely overboard.
  18. Feb 20, 2013
    70
    Interesting and innovative, it doesn’t feel as needy as his previous outings and is better for it.
  19. Feb 19, 2013
    70
    Those first drawn in by the Stax/Warp hybrid he offered on 2005’s “Multiply” will find the energy of this effort familiar, but he’s added a splash of New Jack, and synth trimmings from ’80s freestyle.
  20. Feb 19, 2013
    70
    Granted, Lidell has more of a retro touch than any pop group would dare consider, but these songs are just an AmIdol appearance away from the commercial mainstream.
  21. 70
    It’s unconventional but at the same time totally pop--a tricky balancing act Lidell just about pulls off.
  22. Feb 13, 2013
    70
    The reason that such a potentially pointless enterprise in trash retro works lies entirely in Lidell’s extraordinary talents as musician and producer.
  23. Alternative Press
    Feb 13, 2013
    70
    [A] successful collection. [Mar 2013, p.91]
  24. Mar 12, 2013
    60
    As ever, there are great songs here, underpinned by sharp, imaginative production.... The problem is that Lidell doesn't go far enough.
  25. Feb 26, 2013
    60
    The most frustrating thing about these eleven songs is that it sounds as if Lidell is shackled by the aesthetic, and it’s totally self-imposed. He’s capable of more.
  26. Feb 19, 2013
    60
    As enjoyable as it all is though, it’s hard to escape the lingering feeling that Lidell is best when balancing his desire to mine the rich seam of electronic music’s past with a more innovative perspective.
  27. 60
    There's often a mismatch of temperament between the most brutally juddering of Lidell's quacking synth grooves and the floaty, unanchored manner of his vocal lines.
  28. Q Magazine
    Feb 13, 2013
    60
    His music, colorful and entertaining as it is here, has yet to supply a definitive answer. [Mar 2013, p.98]
  29. Feb 13, 2013
    60
    Ultimately where Jamie Lidell falls down is its lack of originality or sense of emotional honesty.
  30. Feb 22, 2013
    56
    The shame of it is that somewhere in here there's an album that could've done more to revive the mostly moribund idea of 80s pop tropes in contemporary music.
  31. The Wire
    Feb 28, 2013
    50
    His arch over-emoting robs his songs of any sense of genuine feeling. [Feb 2013, p.60]
  32. Feb 25, 2013
    50
    He does it [copying Prince and Roger Troutman] well, at times, but he usually makes you want to YouTube up the originals.
User Score
6.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 14 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Negative: 2 out of 14
  1. Feb 27, 2013
    8
    At first glance, you can see that people judge under the influence of reviewers.

    8.0 is my rating REASON blaming Something, Big Love and
    At first glance, you can see that people judge under the influence of reviewers.

    8.0 is my rating REASON blaming Something, Big Love and I'm Selfish is the perfect songs and I hope that the next album will be maintained in this style.

    Compass was a prelude to this album ALTERNATIVE R B is like most of his copyrighted style that not everyone will like it.

    I recommend this album as much as possible.
    Full Review »
  2. Apr 4, 2013
    9
    Yes, R&B is a big thing nowadays. Some people don't realize that you can be a little creative and funky in this genre. Jamie Lidell has fusedYes, R&B is a big thing nowadays. Some people don't realize that you can be a little creative and funky in this genre. Jamie Lidell has fused R&B, funk, and electronic music to create this musical masterpiece. Sure, the songs are a bit out of the ordinary, but I think that's just what we need. Today's music is all the same crap over and over with a different beat. This is new, this is fresh, this is awesome. The highlights are: "I'm Selfish", "What A Shame", "You Naked", and "Blaming Something". Full Review »