Customer Reviews

Alright on Top

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In days where "pop" music is defined through the borderless silliness of the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears or disguised in braindead techno and house scapes there is still hope: Luke Slater.
I heard this album the first time thinking "i cant be possibly liking this"..You basically have this fear throughout that someone is tricking you into liking something cheesy served in a new formula but this is far from being the case.
"Alright on Top" is a masterful club album, and having said that, you could play 80% of this album in a club, blow peoples' minds out and they'd be even thinking that you're actually mixing tracks skillfully from...different artists, that's how stunningly good this is.
This is dance-music you listen to without being reduced to shame. The atmospheres seem to change in every song but what really dominates is ultra-bombastic rhythms with great lyrics and very catchy melodies all packaged in a very clever -but not "calculated"- way..
At times you'll have the feeling that this LP is the closest you've heard to goth gone disco or the other way around and you'll be amazed that it manages not to sound ridiculous.
As for the vocalist on offer here he's the rocks in a very good whiskey.
Great, imaginative stuff. Pity that "consumable" music doesnt come around more often in the quality of this album.

When I first got this cd, I wondered, "Who is that guy sitting behind Luke Slater?" and then when I put the cd in, I thought somehow the wrong cd had gotten into my package. There were crisp vocals and an upbeat, kind of pop bassline with an 80s flavor. But as I listened some more, I could hear that this isn't some kind of cheesy dance album, but has great production. It's definitely different from Luke Slater's earlier stuff (Wireless, Freek Funk), being less dark and more dancy, but is still hard and has an electro edge.

It's a testament to Slater that he can produce diverse kinds of music, and can work with a vocalist really well (they wrote the music and lyrics for most of the songs together). I usually don't like male vocalists on electronic music, and I'd never heard of The Aloof (the vocalist Ricky Barrow's former group), but I really like his singing on here, and the vocals aren't overly repetitive or inane like so much of the singing on electronic music...The single they're promoting, "nothing at all", is typical of the album, so that will show you what it's like, more or less.

P.S. I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars. I like this album even more after listening to it a lot.

Luke Slater, however, is usually known for his aggressive four to the floor techno. Madonna fan's nearly strung him up by his ankles after turning her ballad the Power of Goodbye to a pounding industrial techno stomper.
It was shocking to fans, critics and DJ's alike that Slater decided to make a pop album. A lot of people don't like this album, but I think its enjoyable. Artists always take it on the chin for changing musical directions, or "underground artists" trying pop. I think its brave.

Luke Slater's sonic barrage of beats is still there, but is also an homage to early 80s synth pop.Traditional verse chorus song structures, along with New Order basslines and Erasure synth arpeggios rub up against 4/4 techno, and broken breakbeats.
As much as it is Slater album, it could also be a solo effort by Ricky Barrow. Soulful, gravely but also cool, his vocals give these songs an above the Brittany-Justin pop edge

Nothing At All takes those trade mark Slater beat assaults and tames them with pop sensibility, Thomas Dolby synths, and Barrow's slightly soulful vocal.

You Know What I Mean is a midtempo number that crackles with sexy electronic burts of energy then errupts into a big New Wave chorus.

Stars and Heroes is the crowning single of Alright on Top, and is great homage to early 80s synthpop, but with a modern 21st century feel. Bouncy synth bass, arcade noises(i thought my cell phone was going off...it was actually the song) and analog synth pads cushion Barrows best vocal delivery on the record.

I Can Complete You is full on retro 80s action, with a completely vocoded vocal. Only mediocre.

Only You thankfully picks up the pace again with some amazing breakbeat drum programming and scratch work by Slater, and a great vocal performance by Barrow, along with some deep bass and 80s synth lines. A nod to New Order comes at the end with some very Bernard Sumner-esque guitar work.

Take Us Apart Is like Erasure on speed...a bad batch of it.Follows the formula of I Can Complete you, but works much better as hyper synth pop with a heavier 4/4 beat.

Searchin For A Dream Follows Only You with more great breakbeat/big beat work and taking a break from the retro-lectro action.

Take Me Round Again is much more typical Slater sonic techno barrage but this time with vocals by Barrow.

Doctor of Divinity is more typical Slater like techno with its Beltram like beats and electronic crackles of noise on top of more subdued 80s influences

Alright On Top doesnt bring any huge innovations to electronic music. But if you try not to live in Luke Slaters past and accept it as it is, its a good electropop record.

I was speechless when I first listened to this CD. It's totally different from anything I've ever heard from Slater before. He has definitely evolved and found a sound that seems to suit him to perfection. Mostly funky electro, but you can totally recognize Slater's techno influences throughout the CD, which takes it to another level. Every single track is amazing and beautifully constructed. This CD is definitely worth checking out.

I've always rather enjoyed Luke Slater's work, but it has been hard to share. Earlier efforts were quirky and inventive; the turn toward lyrics and melodies makes this album more accessible than any of his previous ones. The tunes are nicely constructed and the words -- usually the weak point in the genre -- are fairly strong as well. The result is an enjoyable, fresh, and surprisingly funky album with an appeal that probably goes far beyond, but does not exclude, core techno fans.

Slater may sound like he has sold out on this album to the pop masses, but a couple of listens later has dispelled that idea from my mind. There is a lot going on on this album, all of it very good. You can hear the influences of his harder bangin' techno days throughout, but the lyrical influence has given a new shape to an otherwise drab artform. Catchy hooky melodies lead you on a thumpin' fun entertaining trip, great for setting up an evening out clubbin' or cruising the city streets at midnight to wake up the neighbors and get the party started!

I was so anxiously waiting for the cd to arrive in my mail and when I got it I was like WOW! It came to my surprise that what ever I knew or have heard from Luke, needs to be taking in consideration to understand where he's musical mind is heading to. Tracks #3,4,5 & 6 are pure new-electro meets techno. I'm so sure that Felix the housecat and Miss Kitten, already have the album and it's one of their favorites.

I don't care how much this cd is going for. So what. Luke Slater made a logical progression from the wickedly inventive "Wireless" release, taking beat programming to sick new levels, while employing some wonderful soulful guest vocals. This album proves Slater knows his old-school roots while at the same time made a bold leap reconfiguring pop in the process. Unfortunately, it could be too accessable for narrow-minded techno heads while too experimental to unenlightened pop fans. Listen with an open mind and you'll be greatly rewarded.

This disc is not so hot. The singers' voice is not 'gravelly', but rather fairly annoying, with endless repetition the seeming ultimate goal. Our maximalist hero, alas, pushes the boundaries in some very previously-explored directions. People were ready to follow Luke Slater off the edge of the earth before this disc came out. Who knows what is next for the guy.

There are some tracks that are not THAT bad, but tracks like Only You and Stars and Heroes can be instantly deleted from your hard drive if you rip this disc. There are several tracks that would be good if you could delete the voice over. It's like Slater creates this wall of sound and bass in your room (e.g. Searchin for a Dream), and this guy walks in and starts mumbling next to your head. No offense Mr. Slater, but it just doesn't work.

This thing is going for one U.S. penny on the used listings. Let that be a review in itself.

I'm a real Luke Slater fan, I even follow him to parties across europe when he's playing at it, with absolute highlite "Dance Terminal" 1999 in Antwerpen, Belgium.

I even love his cd's Wireless and Freek Funk, but this latest fabrication is really bad.

Alright On Top reminds me of a poor Marc Almond album, it is very soft in every way, very very booring, it's hardly dance music. Don't buy this album, just buy Wireless or Freek Funk, that you will enjoy.