Jamie Lidell

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.

Fans of Lidell (or Prince, for that matter) won’t be challenged, but Jamie Lidell is proof that sometimes execution really is king.

[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.

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.

Jamie Lidell is rich and inventive because the producer has the technical chops to bring a far-fetched idea into fruition.

Miraculously, this is instead the man's best since Multiply, and his first since Jim to recreate a specific sound in his own image.

The music could overwhelm lesser singers but Lidell's astonishing vocals carry it off with remarkable elan. [Mar 2013, p.90]

Interesting and innovative, it doesn’t feel as needy as his previous outings and is better for it.

It’s altogether more synchronized, an album that pulls you along into its wonderfully mixed-up world without getting lost.

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.

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.

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.

Jamie Lidell is a stunningly entertaining album and an exemplary ode to the good ol' days.

It’s unconventional but at the same time totally pop--a tricky balancing act Lidell just about pulls off.

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.

Every song has multiple hooks, catching your brain and pulling your toes up and down to the rhythm.

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.

Squelchy synths, down-and-dirty basslines, and vocodered vocals stay just the right side of Jamiroquai.

This newest electronic funk vision feels like the album we’ve been waiting for.

The reason that such a potentially pointless enterprise in trash retro works lies entirely in Lidell’s extraordinary talents as musician and producer.

[A] successful collection. [Mar 2013, p.91]