Multiply - Jamie Lidell

Advantages: nostalgia, vocals, composition
Disadvantages: nothing to do with previous album

When Multiply was released I believe something must have exploded supernova-like in outer space due to some cause and effect phenomena. This was my first experience listening to Jamie Lidell, though I had seen his name on the Warp website for sometime. I tried to listen to his other albums afterwards, but to be honest, I was quite disappointed! Here Jamie has shook the ground with an attempt to recreate the early funk soul groove of the 70's and ...
...I come back Around" I felt like I was being taken back in time to the era of funk. I can imagine Otis Redding, Michael Jackson and James Brown trembling. While it's by far the best album I've heard in years, in comparison to his earlier work, there's absolutely nothing in common. Anybody can listen to "Multiply" easily, but other Jamie Lidell albums are to be handled with care. Ultimately, this is a great buy, but not something to judge the artist ... Read review

Advantages: One of the greatest albums of 2005
Disadvantages: Nothing like his previous work

The second album from producer/vocalist Jamie Lidell is absolutely stunning and, if it was not for the corporate nature of the UK music industry at the current point in time, he should be receiving major critical acclaim. This is Jamie Lidell's second release after the experimental 'noise-tronica' of his debut, "Muddlin' Gear". While that was complex, and difficult to listen to, it sat well beside other Warp records artists like Squarepusher and ...
...is true that Jamie Lidell, for this album, wears his influences on his sleeve; part Jackie Wilson, part Stevie Wonder, part Percy Sledge, part James Brown. In fact, in many respects, this album does sound like it could have been at least, if not recorded, in the 70s or early 80s. Yet, on closer listen, the production proves this to be a modern album; even in the most basic of tracks, such as "Multiply" or "This Time", there subtle complexities in ... Read review

Advantages: Unique. Various styles. Incredible use of sound.
Disadvantages: Track nbr. 8

...Muddlin Gear was released in 2000 under Warp Records and Spymania, following Jamie Lidell's first Ep, Freakin' the Frame (1997). If you are familiar with Jamie's most recent release, Multiply (Warp Records, 2005), then you might be in for a shock with Muddlin' Gear. Simply put, Multiply is pop music; Muddlin' Gear is experimental music. Another way of putting would be: Multiply is an in-your-face, clichéd, pretentious and predictable work; Muddlin' Gear is a unique, untried, and fried-jazz fest, capricious and inspired, a true masterwork. Muddlin' Gear contains 12 tracks, totalling at 53 minutes approx. The Entroscooper, the opening track, sounds like digital disintegration played in an emptied subway. This sets the tone for the whole album. Said Dram Scram has a punk attitude, industrial rock feel to it. It spins strange... Read review

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