- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Q MagazineA blistering song set with the playful spirit of '80s Prince. [Jul 2005, p.115]
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A silky, bright, singing-in-the-shower masterstroke of joy and elation.
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His is a rare talent, demanding to be heard.
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'Multiply' sees the flavours of Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Prince and Sly Stone twisted into 2005 with subtly inventive touches and modern production suss.
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Multiply sounds like he picked up some ancient reel-to-reel tape from lost Holland-Dozier-Holland sessions and gave them a 2005 production spit-and-polish.
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This is a major step forward in pushing the IDM aesthetic into the bigger territory of soul and R&B music.
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UncutMultiply marks the full flowering of a singular talent. [Jul 2005, p.99]
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Listen to Multiply once and you'll be struck by how reverent it is; listen to it three times and you'll start to notice the microscopic digital artifacts and subtle tweaks that give it personality and pop.
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An album that, in its best moments, draws comparisons to at-peak Prince and, at its worst, lands in the respectable company of Nikka Costa’s Everybody Got Their Something.
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Multiply sacrifices cohesion in its quest for stylistic diversity, but it’s a bravura tour through the smooth sounds and hot jams of yesteryear.
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UrbTruly strange and beautiful. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.102]
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Entertainment WeeklyIf even a hint of Jamiroquai makes you gag, stay away; otherwise, proceed to the dance floor, please. [22 Jul 2005, p.74]
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BlenderThe idea is to build a monorail between Aphex Twin and Stax Records; the songwriting eventually slacks off, but Lidell's performances don't. [Aug 2005, p.111]
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Outside the charismatic skill of Lidell's shapeshifting vocals and his forward-looking arrangements, the actual songs of Multiply aren't of as indelible an essence as the classics that they imitate.
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How he makes good on such a seemingly noxious premise remains a mystery... but Lidell's star shines from whatever angle it might be spied.
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Lidell has created an album of flawless, imaginative, and radical funk grooves.
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New Musical Express (NME)His skill rests in the realisation that you can't airbrush soul: so, instead of smoothing rough edges, these cuts of cyborg funk fidget with digital tics and gasps. [11 Jun 2005, p.67]
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SpinSound[s] like Prince cutting the ass out of Squarepusher's pants. [Aug 2005, p.103]
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Lidell has a fine voice, arguably one of the most potent white soul singers England has given us since Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie.
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Multiply is not just the year’s most adventurous album, it’s one of its most melodic, soulful, and engaging as well.
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MojoThe heritage soul signposts multiply with almost hallucinatory rapidity. [Aug 2005, p.104]
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Although Lidell's voice lacks muscle and butter, he knows how to launch a falsetto, and the beats on "A Little Bit More" and "The City" should not be played within earshot of anyone wearing a pacemaker.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 44 out of 58
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Mixed: 2 out of 58
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Negative: 12 out of 58
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MattyMMar 14, 2007
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BlairSMay 29, 2006Very solid album. The single, Multiply, is definitely a highlight. One of the best tracks in a long time!
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SimGNov 1, 2005Very creative, great combination on an album, but give it some time. It takes a little bit of time to grow on you.