Customer Reviews

Compass [Vinyl]

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

 

 

If you're not familiar with Jamie Lidell.....well, shame on you.

"Multiply" was an interesting combination of 1/2 stripped-down, electronic-ish funk & 1/2 Stax soul.
"Jim" was the "pop" album with Stevie Wonder-ish feelings
"Compass" is the unpolished, raw masterpiece of funk and soul.

If you have been waiting 10 years for the new D'Angelo album, buy this.
If you have been mourning the retirement of Lewis Taylor, buy this.
If you fantasize about Prince releasing stuff that actually sounds like Prince, buy this.

"The Ring" is an emotional release of pain embedded in a nasty, tasty funk nugget. If nothing else, download this song.

The rest of the album is amazing save for a couple of tracks - but it's not nearly as accessible as "Jim", like a Lewis Taylor album, you have to let the songs unfold, they may not grab you at :30 or even 1:00, but by the time the song is over, you'll be blown away.

There's no doubt about it-this music is definately the byproduct of a very restless musical personality. My first hearing of Jamie Lidell was on his previous album Jim, a well crafted R&B/funk album that presented Lidell,vocally and musically in a light that really set it all for his talents and within itself was diverse enough to keep things musically very interesting. So you can imagine my surprise these few years later to find Lidell has returned.....as Beck? Not by any means to knock Beck by any means since he has his brilliance Jamie Lidell has a totally different flavor and this album just doesn't keep his own distinct flavors as intact as the previous album. There is a lot of music here that has that strong funk groove of which he's proved more than capable of such as on...say "You Are Walking" and "The Ring". What happens here a lot of the times though is this very 1990's DIY approch that,to be honest was kind of done to death in it's day and whose time on occasion seems to have come to pass. There's a lot of fuzzed out vocals,almost to the point of being blunted and most of these songs possess little to sometimes no craft to them at all. He's trying to do a lot on this record and only on the heavily Minneapolis inspired "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" and the inspired jazz-funk of "Enough Is Enough" does enough of Jamie's own creative light shine through amidst all these overreaching (and sometimes all too obvious) attempts at being eclectic. Lidell's focus is still presented here but the sad part is he's all too often trying to hide it behind a series of studio effects that tend to distract from the songs. In the end it's definately not "pop" music in any sense of the word and is probably better digested whole than by illustrating the merrits of any of it's individual songs. Even though I'm sure many people would disagree his previous album to this worked far better to his writing,singing and musical style and the kind of sonic explorations that work so well for Moby and Beck just don't suit Jamie Lidell. True that may have been the world that spawned him but he expanded and if not properly guided in the future this could be the beginning of a period of Lidell musically treading water.

If you were trying to compare someone to Jamie Lidell, you may have had a chance until he released this album. Multiply taught us that one track of an album can sound like it came from a different decade than all the rest. Jim taught us that maybe funk and soul aren't so different, and now this album takes us to an entirely different part of Jamie's psyche.

The beats are earth shattering, the hooks are contagious, and the vocals are of another planet. Parts of this sound like Jamie recorded them in his basement and parts sound like production from the latest hip-hop studio in LA. Of course it sounds that way, Beck produced it and everyone knows he can't stay in one genre for a whole album. James Gadson plays drums on a lot of it, and the motown feel is unmistakable. Feist and Chris Taylor offer backing vocals, which hopefully gets some of those indi-hipsters listening to this.

From the toe-tapping, Jackson 5-esque Enough is Enough, to the 808 break on completely exposed, this album keeps you grooving. By the time you get to the ballads like Compass and You See My Light, you will know that this man can sing, write and perform with the versatility of a young Stevie or Michael, and can sing circles around a Justin Timberlake or the other young wannabes cropping up in today's market.

The gritty undertones, distorted vocal sounds, beatboxing and textures on which I can't even put my finger cut right through to the true heart of this album; Singing your heart out about loving and love lost. I'd like to see this album become the sound of the 2010s, so all you indi-hipsters, pay for it rather than waiting for a torrent. We need to fund this man so he can continue on this journey of soul.

Wow, what an amazing collection of songs. Jamie Lidell has - hands down - released the best soul music of the 21st century!

This is not just the culmination of where Lidell has been but also of where soul music has been and is going. Lidell is not just pushing his voice to the limits but also our understanding of the genres he pulls from. If you like soul, funk, and electronic music this is for you.

The first Jamie Lidell album I heard was Jim, his clean, soulful 3rd Cd. It was start to finish a classic album, and quickly became one of my favorite albums of all time. His voice is unlike anything out there right now, and it is a crime that he is not an international sensation. So Compass had some pretty big shoes to fill.

When I heard the title track, Compass, a month before the album released, I was impressed with his sound, but worried that the entire album might sound the same. I shouldn't have doubted.

Compass starts off with "Completely Exposed". the heavy bass is never overwhelming and his amazing vocals seem to compliment the track.

"Your sweet boom" starts off with Jammie's enhanced voice proclaiming "I want to synchronize with your boom". At first I felt that the production overwhelmed his vocals, but now I can safely say that he has almost made a new genre with the sound that he achieves on this track.

"She needs me" finds Mr. Lidell channeling the old school soul that hasn't been seen since the late sixties, in one of the smoothest ballads I have heard in my life.

"I wanna be your telephone" Is a kinetic record that allows Jamie to show off his production skills.

"Enough's Enough" is his most mainstream song by far. It is a fast paced, upbeat, feel good song that you should be listening to right now.

"The ring" has surprisingly become one of my favorite songs on this album. The sound is so funky I thought that I was listening to Parliament for a second.

"You are waking" is a harder sound than most of his album, but never feels out of place.

"I can love again" defies description. I don't have the imagination to adequately describe the sound achieved here, and there is no higher praise than that.

"It's a kiss" embodies a love that can never be, and the longing that comes with it.

"Compass" reflect the evolution that Jamie has undergone to reach the place he has musically. With meaningful lyrics and amazing production, it deserves to be the title track.

"Gypsy blood" is one of the shorter tracks on the album, but is so musically dense that you wish it would last longer.

"Coma Chameleon" is my least favorite track on the album simply because it is so different from the sound I am used to hearing.

"Big Drift" is just as different as Coma Chameleon, but easier to digest somehow.

"You see my light" is the shortest track on the album, and is also undeniably one of it's most powerful. Ironically enough Jamie's voice is so light he seems to fade away rather than stop singing.

If you like Jamie Lidell than you will love this album. Though his sound is not as clean as his previous outings, the raw sound seems to fit him like a glove. This album is truly an instant classic.

Before I tell you about my opinion why I think the "compass" is heading south let me first talk about Jamie Lidell. I became familiar with Mr.Lidell with the "Jim" album, and became an instant fan of this artist. Now Jamie Lidell has an honest expression that is easy to read in the midst of all his electronics. He is a good singer, and has a funky nature about him that is infectious. He is a unique artist, and I think we need more artists like him that have the balls to bring in fresh creation. The thing with Lidell is that he is likes a lot of different music, although that being a strength can also bring in a curse. This album shows that problem in my opinion. Compass shows a restless body of work that misses the mark. The production is chaotic in nature, and lacks focus. I know that Beck had a hand in production, and I am not sure if it helped Lidell. The songs are enjoyable only because it's apparent of it's influences. Like the song "I Wanna Be Your Telephone" sounds like Prince's "Lady Cab Driver" inspired drum breaks, a bit of "Erotic City" in other words Minneapolis Funk. Some songs you can hear the Stevie Wonder influences, but what it comes down to is because I am familiar with it's source I can get in to it. Other than that the production is all over the place for a listener to grab something of a direction. The problem is that this album is produced to musicians and not to the average person. Lidell's voice is over produced in this album. There are so many effects to the point that it is no longer enjoyable. This is a strong point, because Jamie Lidell's voice is his selling point. Not his electronics. He sounds like Chris Cornell in "You See My Light" to like an angry black preacher in "Coma Chameleon". Then one minute he can turn on his soul stride that is wonderful. In the end you get Jamie Lidell. He has his own voice. When you see him live you get a perspective that this man truly is a singer, and that his artistry with electronics makes him stand out with his God given talent. Unfortunately, an artist such as this needs a team that brings more of a formulated production for the masses to understand him. Compass has good songs, but it's ruined with too much effects, and the arrangement is too sporadic. The songs are hard to establish mentally, cause the notes are lost by musicians that sometimes sound like they are out of the pocket. It just feels it needs more purpose. It comes out artistically sounding too pretentious. When you have a voice like Lidell it needs to be shown with clarity, and well thought out arrangements. Compass does not hide the personality of Jim. His personality is spontaneous and live, but I believe a good producer in the future will bring this balance to him without the feeling of compromise. This album should have followed the "Jim" into higher grounds. When you make an album like "Jim", you can't follow with something this raw and organic. That is going backwards or south.