Customer Reviews

Back to Mine

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, let me state that I neither love this CD nor hate it, though I do have a strong opinion on it as I think that Groove Armada is worthy of doing so much more than putting together a mediocore mix CD. Unfortunatley this would have been so much better had they kept with the original concept and followed the recipe that they threw together in the first few songs, by that I mean a nice mellow vibe (i.e. tracks 1-4 or 5). At times however it seems that they throw in some really bad mixes of 80's synth-pop that just does not fit with the molding in my couch as I am trying to relax to a "downtempo" disc. That being my one and only real complaint, I can easily say that you will probably enjoy this CD at first as it has a decent vibe but will eventually grow tiresome of it as time passes on.

I have bought this CD at least 5 times. Two of them are still in my custody (one worn and scratched to near oblivion), the rest, well, all given away reluctantly or borderline "stolen" by those that "have to have" this CD.

I entertain allot, this almost always makes rotation for pre-dinner appetizers, or post dinner games (of the board kind). I wouldn't do at dinner time because there are a handful of songs that are a bit too hard (this CD isn't 100% chillout, there are a handful of uptempo tracks). Nevertheless, this CD is a winner.

Their newer CD (Love Box) is excellent, but in my opinion not as good as this one. If you love the downtempo element of this CD, I'd recommend Air (the group), or Zero 7. If you like the uptempo aspect, I'd take a look at some cool Mushroom Jazz (like Mark Farina).

Hope this was helpful.

Christian Hunter

This CD is one of those unexpected pleasures that you stumble onto sometimes... I heard this CD while at a good friend's party and instantly fell in love with it. I'd never heard of Groove Armada before, but now that I have, I'm determined to tell everyone I know.

The CD is chock full of interesting music, from Al Green to A Tribe Called Quest, and while you might not think it's possible to house so many different styles of music on 1 CD, Groove Armada pulls this off very well. The mixing is awesome and can relax you in no time... However, one song on the CD will make you want to really get pumped up and excited, and that's "Sound of Music" by Dayton. There's no way you can hear the song and not be instantly cheered up/juiced up/ready to go; it's got a beat and music that almost force you to get up and dance along.

I totally agree with the reviewer who mentioned playing this CD and having a glass of wine along with it. This CD is a great way to relax and refresh after a rough day. Give it a try, and you won't be let down.

This is my first Groove Armada cd and I have to say I was expecting something a little more mixed, but this cd has not left my player! I love it, I don't know about any of their other works, but if you are lookin for some downtempo, juicy, groove you have found a winner. You cannot go wrong with Barry White and Al green will never let you down. A great cd to chill to, with a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Also this cd will not get "played out", like some newer music sometimes does. These are classics you can keep forever.

Having listened to several albums in the back to mine series, I have to say that Groove Armada's compilation is by far the best of the lot. Intergrating an incredibly diverse mix of musical genres and artists, GA creates a album that seamlessly transitions from one song to the next. Overall, this is a more soulful album than ambient techno, with offerings from Al Green, Barry White, and A Tribe Called Quest. As far as beats and tempos go, it's much more laid back than Everything But the Girl, The Orb, or Danny Tenaglia's versions. This is the perfect album for an evening in with close friends or a special someone, a laid back vibe with a red wine buzz, or something else that gets your mind open.

A word of advice...if you're looking for the 240 bpm, frenzied d&b scene, this isn't for you. That ought to come as no surprise to most people considering a GA purchase. However, given some of the comments I've heard about this one, some people are finding themselves shocked by this release.

This is an INCREDIBLY smooth release. I picked it up one night after a wonderfuly delicious meal in Napa, and as I made my way back to San Francisco, with the top down, I found that nothing could have been more appropriate to the occassion.

This cd is, literally, all over the place. From Tribe Called Quest to Barry White to Al Green, it's in there. All mixed incredibly smoothly and seamlessly. It is a fantastic "chill-out" album, and is one, I wager, that will be drawing attention from many different types of people.

It's a very accessible release for most people, and one that I am sure you will enjoy. Perfect for driving with the top down at night, spending some quality time with your loved one, dining, cocktails, or any other instance you could think of that lends itself to softer, smoother vibes.

Very worth it....

These young cats have the musical heart and soul of an Old skool 40 year old adolescent. You'ld have to, to put a compilation like this together. Smoothly mixed from start to finish with contrasting styles from old to new, tightly woven together creating a warm blanket of soul you can wrap yourself up in. I enjoyed the nice surprise of hearing the soulful voices that I enjoyed way back when. Singing not the overplayed standards, but the overlooked gems that were on one side or the other of an album back when we actually had to flip a record over! For the R&B purist, take a chance. This is a worth while addition to your collection. Groove Armada is to the new milliniem what AWB (the average white band) was to the 70's

Alot of my fellow reviewers and the general public should note that a main tenet of the Back to Mine series is that it is a reflection of influences and musical tastes of the artists. In the sleeve notes of one of the Back to Mine series (there are at least a dozen so named CDs) I read that it's all about what they'd play at their after-clubbing party back home on their vintage vinyls and what not.

Therefore you get alot of downbeat tracks and music that isn't necessarily what the artist would normally put out. The same holds true for this BTM release. Groove Armada are already masters of the chill beats, but they put in a twist for this assortment of their favourite tunes. A direct quote from the booklet that comes with the disc: "In compiling this album, we've worked at playing all these tunes at their original speed as they're all too special to be distorted."

What you are buying here isn't necessarily a Groove Armada album - though it's definitely got their flavour. What you are buying is a truly one-of-a-kind, stellar mix tape. Seriously. Still worth the purchase, even at the more expensive CD store prices.

In my opinion this is one of the best chillout CDs to come out of the "back to mine" series. The collection here is simply captivating (say eclectic?) and if it doesnt get your head bopping 3 minutes down the first track then I cant help it. If you are a big fan of Chillout or even if you are not but need a CD to play for one of those after-party group who come to your place at 4am to finish off your chardonay then this would be the bomb to play. I have 12 of the 16 BTM CDs released so far and this one ranks #1 in the list. Tom and Andy have definately shown their best musical taste here and if you are a GA fan then this collection will show you what exactly they listen to and like.

I can't really recall why I bought this CD - I think that I had heard good things about Groove Armada and didn't realize that this CD was a compliation of songs that they like via the Back To Mine collection. The first time that I listened to this CD- I instantly liked every song. The variety of tunes is great, but really well mixed together. It listens like a complete album all the way through. If you like mellow but slightly upbeat R&B with a little bit of techno, then this album is definitely for you. Great for listening while doing stuff at home or at work.