Jamie Lidell is one half of the production duo Super Collider, but this album is certainly NOT an electronic outing. Instead, we find a producer who has the pipes to be a 70’s style funk/soul singer.
I bought this album after reading an end of year review in IDJ magazine that listed this release as one of the best of 2005. I thought they were kidding when they said that it was a soul record – how soul could it be if it’s being featured in IDJ magazine and he’s part of a tech/funk duo?
Let me just say that this album is so soulful and funky that my wife really loves it (and that’s saying something). Even if it were an instrumental affaire the spirit of 70’s funk/soul would be resurrected, but Lidell’s quite surprising vocals are a treat on this album and they really seal the 70’s deal. I’m not going to go on about Lidell’s vocal stylings other than to say that if you didn’t know he was a geeky white Brit, you’d guess that he’s an American born from the likes of Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Stevie Wonder, or Marvin Gaye.
This will be a tough album to find in the US, but if you come across it, you should pick it up. Play it at a party and someone will ask you who the hell it is.