... It's what garage is all about.
2. Re-rewind - The original title for the album, and the title of the pre-release album and was the first single to be released off the CD. It features Craig David and was one of the biggest sellers of 99. It stayed at Number 1 for 2 weeks before slowly sliding ... Read review
Stragglersearns what might be its deserved status as enduring pop masterpiece. Essentially UK garage with the vocal sheen of US R&B, there is also a wealth of det...
Stragglers earns what might be its deserved status as enduring pop masterpiece. Essentially UK garage with the vocal sheen of US R&B, there is also a wealth of d...
Stragglersearns what might be its deserved status as enduring pop masterpiece. Essentially UK garage with the vocal sheen of US R&B, there is also a wealth of det...
A review by craigy_baby_2000 on It's All About The Stragglers - Artful Dodger January 20th, 2001
Author's product rating:
Originality
Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
A couple of weak links
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Value for Money
Advantages:
Great range of tracks, lots of up - beat and positive tracks, lots of single releases
Disadvantages:
The bonus track is number 99 and it means lots of fast - forwarding if you want to listen to it, will be too same - y for some people
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Garage has been big over the past 12 months, and proves to be getting more popular all the time. This album is a godsend for garage lovers, it contains everything people look for in a garage album. The songs all have a lot of variety between each other, and do not simply consist of a low syncopated bass with an annoying repeated melody line which comes around every bar or two. It also features a lot of tracks that are familiar as they have all been released and it's nice to have them all on one album.
Another thing that is noticeable after a couple of play-throughs of this album is that there are no bad tracks on the album. There are a couple that could be considered as 'fillers' but none that are annoyingly mediocre in their style. Also, there are no interlude tracks that you often find on albums such as these, which means just 13 tracks of pure garage (and the occasional bit of R&B as well from time to time).
There are various vocalists on the album as the group consists of a 10-piece vocal and DJ mixture, which is great because it brings even more variation to each track. The singles and different vocalists are well interspersed throughout the tracks which is good because you never tire of listening to the album in that way. Usually in an album, you find that all the single releases are at the beginning and then more slow ones at the end, but because there are 4 tracks (or 5 with the remix of Woman Trouble) that have been released as singles, it's good to hear a familiar tune every so often come out of the speakers.
Another thing that I like about it is the fact that none of the tracks go on for too long; unlike similar releases by bands such as Basement Jaxx, Spiller and other garage or dance artists, these tracks don't go on for 7 or 8 minutes but are wrapped up within a nice 4 or 5 minute time period. Don't let this make you think that the album isn't long though, with 13 tracks the album is getting on for an hour in length (over an hour with the blank tracks included).
If there was one bad thing that I would have to say about the album, it would be the fact that the bonus track is on the 99th 'track'. There are a total of 86 blank tracks between 'We Should Get Together' and 'Woman Trouble Original Version' which just gets annoying if you want to listen to it but you have to skip through to track 99 everytime.
Here is a brief run-through of all the tracks of the album. Bear in mind that these are all garage style (for those of you who don't know, garage is basically dance music with lyrics over the top) and so I am not going to say that with every track.
1. Think About Me - A nice enough tune, on any other album this would have been released as a single, although on this one there are so many singles already released that it is impossible to release any more. A nice female vocalist sings a pleasant song over a nice beat. It's what garage is all about.
2. Re-rewind - The original title for the album, and the title of the pre-release album and was the first single to be released off the CD. It features Craig David and was one of the biggest sellers of 99. It stayed at Number 1 for 2 weeks before slowly sliding its way down the charts. A nice beat and surprisingly lack of harmony to Craig's voice makes a great song as pop and garage.
3. Outrageous - A great bit of vocoder work is one of the first things you notice about this song, although it is repeated quite often which gets annoying after the first few hearings, although this does change part way through. A more up-beat song in general with a mix of minor accompaniment and a major repeated synth tune over the top of the main melody.
4. Please Don't Turn Me On - The latest offering to be released from the album, and one of my person favourites. Lifford is the vocalist on this one, and, although unknown by a large majority of the population makes an immediate impact with his definitive and very R&B style voice. A nice up-beat with a great chorus with synth string background.
5. Twentyfourseven - This song has a very pleasant xylophone background to the majority of it which makes it sound like a Whitney Houston song. I would say this song was more R&B than Garage, with a very american feel to it. Not a bad song at all, and it makes a nice change from the heavy-beat garage which you are getting slightly tired of by this stage in the album.
6. Something - Getting back into the garage mood again, this track is a great party piece of material, although the vocal part isn't as good as some of the others. Not the best track on the album at all, but a nice filler.
7. Movin Too Fast (New Version) - The second release for the band, this is another favourite of mine. More of a pop song with an added bass, this track is still as popular now as it was when it was released almost a year ago.
8. R U Ready - Another pleasant filler that doesn't really have a catchy tune to it but is more for just listening to. The bass underneath is nice and constant, and although not that interesting, is entertaining enough, certainly moreso than other artists I could name who have appalling filler tracks. With some rap in parts, it's hard to imagine what it sounds like in some respects, it is one you have to listen to to hear.
9. I Can't Give It Up - Sounding very familiar to another tune on the album, you can't help but think 'oh no, this album is going downhill from here' although when the lyrics come, you realise that the track is actually home to a very beautiful and interesting song with emotion through the strong garage feel.
10. Woman Trouble - The third and perhaps least successful release off the album, the Artful Dodger certainly seem to like it more than the general public - there are two versions on the album. This one is the one that was released as a single in early summer last year. A large number of catchy phrases in one song, this song contains such familiar phrases as 'I Feel Fantastic, Boombastic, Ecstatically Astounded' and 'I Feel Surrounded, Confounded, Emotionally Dumbfounded'. This one also features Craig David which makes the garage feel almost disappear with his emotive voice.
11. What You Gonna Do? - Just when you thought the album couldn't get any better, this mix of garage and more of Craig David's lyrical genius brightens up the feel even more with the yet again syncopated bass and various other techniques used.
12. We Should Get Together - A much lighter style of garage, this song captures some excellent lyrics and puts them to great use in with a very original synth xylophone background. Perhaps this song might have been better without the garage bass which comes in part-way through, but still a loveable mix of dance and good music.
13. (or track 99 on album) - Woman Trouble (original version) - To be honest, I don't see all together that much different between this track and the released version, except that this track keeps the same accompaniment all the way through, which makes it slightly more boring than the other version. Nevertheless, a decent track, and one worthy of commendation still.
Altogether, this album is a fine blend of garage, R&B and pure great music. I would strongly recommend that everyone buy this album as it features so much within one album. It covers different styles and genres of dance, and is great for everyone, although perhaps better for the garage lovers out there. Not a bad purchase at all, if a little too similar-track sounding for non-avid garage fans. Well worth a listen!
More Reviews
Artful Great Review ofIt's All About The Stragglers - Artful Dodgerby
craigy2040
Advantages: Great Songs Disadvantages: Repetitive??
The Artful Dodger album is great. It has a wide selection of different people singing to accompany their backing sounds. These people include Craig David, Michelle Escoffery, Robbie Craig, MC Alistair, and Romina Johnson. These are just a few of the people who are the CD. The CD overall is very good, offering a selection of R’N’B, Dance and mild pop. It is a CD for a mixed variety of people.
I bought this CD quite a while ago, back in ... ...player. I love this CD because it has a great selection of types of music. I’m the type of person who can listen to almost any type of music. This CD is perfect for all my friends and me! 1. Think About Me
This song is one of my favourites. It is all about a woman leaving a man, and then him getting upset. The song is basically saying that man think it is ok to leave women, but when reversed then it’s not ok. The song has a good tempo, ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it rate alongs...
Value for Money
very helpful
06.05.2002
Bit of a straggler Review ofIt's All About The Stragglers - Artful Dodgerby
emilystobbs
Advantages: some good tunes Disadvantages: bit dull
'It's all about the stragglers' is the debut album by Southampton based dance duo 'Artful Dodger'- better known for their chart topppers 'Re-rewind', 'woman trouble' and 'please dont turn me on', all of which feature on the CD. I was a bit baffled as to why that 'moving too fast'song wasn't on the album, just another mystery of life.
The album consists of 11 tracks and they combine garage and R'n'B. I found that some of the songs were a bit too ... ...of tracks. Another thing that annoyed me was that a couple of the songs such as 'r u ready' seemed to have a really long intro that made the song dull before it had even got going. I think you need a bit more patience to get the most out of the album.
The songs feature a various singers- including the teenage phenonomen formerly known as Craig David, after all, he made his debut with Artful Dodger. 'Lifford' also features.
The cover design is fairly ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: Very good tracks (including the ones that are more unknown) Disadvantages: none I can think of
I have always liked the Artful Dodger's music. I remember about 6 months before "Rewind" came out and got very big, one of my friends who was really into underground Garage, played it to me. At first, I thought it sounded a bit weird, but it soon grew on me, and I would say was probably **the** song that turned my music taste from plain dance toward UK Garage/2 step.
Firstly, I thought the Artful Dodger might just be a one hit wonder. When all of ... ...Romina Johnson, was released. After that, I liked every song that I heard by them.
I remember having a conversation with a friend last summer, about whether we thought the Artful Dodger would ever release his own album. We had decided that he probably wouldn't as he is technically a DJ, not a music artist....
However we were proven wrong, when back in November, I heard a radio advert for the new Artful Dodger album, "Its all about the stragglers". ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Head banging, Hip rotating Disadvantages: urm...
A five star album.
Definitely.
"It's all about the stragglers" is a brilliant debut compilation album from Artful Dodger. What a great way to introduce amazing vocalists such as Robbie Craig, Michelle Escoffery and the man we ALL love, Mr Craig David.
I almost hate Artful Dodger (a.k.a Pete Devereux & Mark Hill) for not having a single crapp tune on their album!! They sure know the real and true meaning of garage music. Definitely an album for ... ...headache that was! Please forgive me as I could only narrow it down to two:
"Think about me" feat. Michelle Escoffery
AND
"Outrageous" feat. Lynn Eden
Even if I am just casually listening to the album, it always gets my head bopping… Gwan wid ur big selves!!!
(i.e. GO AND BUY IT!!) ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
How does it rate alongs...
Value for Money
helpful
10.02.2001
UK garage at its best Review ofIt's All About The Stragglers - Artful Dodgerby
geserve
Advantages: Great mix, wide appeal Disadvantages: Not the garage album we all expected it to be!
...Please Don't Turn Me On, it's still quality. 7: MOVING TOO FAST (feat Romina Johnson). BIG song... good tune, quite dancy - was the worthy follow up to re-rewind!
8: R U READY (feat MC Alistair). Not great. 9: I CAN'T GIVE IT UP (feat Nadia). Quite a good track, not one of the best but still well worth a listen.
10: WOMAN TROUBLE (feat Robbie Craig/Craig David). Not really garage bit 2 steppy... 3rd single released!
11: WHAT YOU GONNA DO? (feat ... ...then, don't buy It's All About The Stragglers expecting to find a garage album through-and-through, as its not all that - buy it because it's a great album with a lot of top quality dance tunes which you can kick back and chill too.... or even strut your stuff too! ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: Lots of big tunes Disadvantages: A couple of tunes are slightly less exciting than the rest
..."It's AllAbout The Stragglers" came out in 2000, at the height of popularity for UK Garage. This urban dance music emmerged in the mid-nineties, and faded around 2002 (before being brought back as Bassline in 2007). ArtfulDodgers were amongst the most popular acts, and as a production group, out of Southampton, they collaborated with R&B singers to perform on top of their 2-Step beats. With the dance scene anywhere being ever-changing, constructing an album is difficult, as the music is quickly old, but with this album constructed efficiently, they managed to stay relavent at this peak period with tunes such as "TwentyFourSeven", "Woman Trouble" and "Re-Rewind".
1. "Think About Me"
To start the album off, we have one which starts quite simplistically with a piano loop, which builds up the mood, before things such as vocals are...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: All of the tracks are great. Disadvantages: Some of the songs sound similar.
...I didn't know I liked Craig David's music until my friend told me to download a song he told me was great. I listened to it and realised that Craig David's music is good. I downloaded a couple more of his songs and my friend offered to lend me the album. Instead I went to buy it. I paid £22 for "Born to do it" and the artfuldodger album "itsallabout the stragglers". Born to do it is a great album with many fantastic tracks, some well known ones are Fill me in, Rendezvous, 7 days and Walking away. If you like those tracks then I'm sure that you'll like just about every other one on the album. Craig David is a very good singer. I like the way he sometimes spits out so many words at once and I also like the way you can sing along because the CD comes with the words for all of the tracks. This is one of my favourite albums and I play it...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Several very well-known hits. Tunes rather than beats. David's pleasing vocals are easy on the ear, as are the songs. Generally hard to dislike. Disadvantages: Too samey at times. Cliched lyrics. Some more uptempo tracks would have been welcome.
...the MOR-tendencies of Once In A Lifetime, normal service is immediately resumed with You Know What, a nondescript Fill Me In offcut that has *filler* written all over its "boink".
Which leads us nicely onto Rewind, the single that made him a star in this country. Originally credited to ArtfulDodger (and also featured on their own album It's AllAbout The Stragglers), it does nevertheless belong here as well. It's jerky, quirky and rather more techno-flavoured than the easy-listening muzak of Craig David the solo artist.
Ground-breaking this album may not be, but generally Mr. David appears to know his strengths. Whether he manges continued success beyond this first album remains to be seen. The track sequencing is clever - some distinctly average fare bookended by the big hit singles, and the running time of around 50 minutes is just...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Album Notes: Artful Dodger: Mark Hill, Pete Devereaux. Additional personnel includes: Craig David, Michelle Escoffery, Lynn Eden, Lifford, Romina Johnson, MC Alistair, Robbie Craig, Nadia, Melanie Blatt.
Album Reviews: Entertainment Weekly (6/01/01, pp.87-8) - "...Lighter and softer than much American R&B, and poptronica tracks like 'Please Don't Turn Me On' and 'Twentyfourseven' inject sexual tension into a genre that's long been celibate....perfectly passable dance-diva pop sung by perfectly passable frontpeople..." - Rating: B CMJ (9/3/01, p.37) - "...Super-catchy, effortless R&B melodies with edges just a tad sharper than that of a butter knife..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Think About Me - Artful Dodger & Michelle Escoffery
2.: Re Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta) - Artful Dodger & Craig David
3.: Outrageous - Artful Dodger & Lynn Eden
4.: Please Don't Turn Me On - Artful Dodger & Lifford Davis
5.: Twentyfour Seven - Artful Dodger & Nicole
6.: Something - Artful Dodger & Lifford Davis
7.: Movin' Too Fast (new version) - Artful Dodger & Romina Johnson
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