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Feb 19, 2013It 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.
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Mar 7, 2013[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.
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Feb 22, 2013Overall, 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.
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Feb 22, 2013Jamie Lidell is rich and inventive because the producer has the technical chops to bring a far-fetched idea into fruition.
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Feb 21, 2013Miraculously, this is instead the man's best since Multiply, and his first since Jim to recreate a specific sound in his own image.
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MojoFeb 20, 2013The music could overwhelm lesser singers but Lidell's astonishing vocals carry it off with remarkable elan. [Mar 2013, p.90]
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Feb 19, 2013It’s altogether more synchronized, an album that pulls you along into its wonderfully mixed-up world without getting lost.
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Feb 19, 2013Jamie Lidell is a stunningly entertaining album and an exemplary ode to the good ol' days.
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Feb 19, 2013Every song has multiple hooks, catching your brain and pulling your toes up and down to the rhythm.
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Feb 19, 2013What 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.
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Feb 19, 2013Squelchy synths, down-and-dirty basslines, and vocodered vocals stay just the right side of Jamiroquai.
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Feb 14, 2013This newest electronic funk vision feels like the album we’ve been waiting for.
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Feb 13, 2013While 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.
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Mar 18, 2013Fans of Lidell (or Prince, for that matter) won’t be challenged, but Jamie Lidell is proof that sometimes execution really is king.
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Feb 19, 2013Lidell’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.
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UncutMar 29, 2013It'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]
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Mar 28, 2013The 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.
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Feb 20, 2013Interesting and innovative, it doesn’t feel as needy as his previous outings and is better for it.
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Feb 19, 2013Those 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.
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Feb 19, 2013Granted, 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.
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Feb 19, 2013It’s unconventional but at the same time totally pop--a tricky balancing act Lidell just about pulls off.
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Feb 13, 2013The reason that such a potentially pointless enterprise in trash retro works lies entirely in Lidell’s extraordinary talents as musician and producer.
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Alternative PressFeb 13, 2013[A] successful collection. [Mar 2013, p.91]
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Mar 12, 2013As ever, there are great songs here, underpinned by sharp, imaginative production.... The problem is that Lidell doesn't go far enough.
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Feb 26, 2013The 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.
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Feb 19, 2013As 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.
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Feb 15, 2013There'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.
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Q MagazineFeb 13, 2013His music, colorful and entertaining as it is here, has yet to supply a definitive answer. [Mar 2013, p.98]
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Feb 13, 2013Ultimately where Jamie Lidell falls down is its lack of originality or sense of emotional honesty.
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Feb 22, 2013The 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.
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The WireFeb 28, 2013His arch over-emoting robs his songs of any sense of genuine feeling. [Feb 2013, p.60]
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Feb 25, 2013He does it [copying Prince and Roger Troutman] well, at times, but he usually makes you want to YouTube up the originals.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 14
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Mixed: 3 out of 14
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Negative: 2 out of 14
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Feb 27, 2013
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Apr 4, 2013