Love Box

Groove Armada | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 21, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jive
• ASIN: B00007L7D3
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,632 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tom Findlay and Andy Cato have steadily been dismantling their chill-out crown ever since the single "At the River" floated them into coffee-table ubiquity. Love Box finally stretches the duo's eclectic tastes beyond any semblance of continuity or restraint, finishing the job started on last year's Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub). Named after Groove Armada's bimonthly London club night, the duo's fourth album captures the excitement and diversity of pace you would expect from a masterful DJ set. While the opening track, "Purple Haze," doesn't have a sniff of Hendrix's majestic histrionics, it is certainly Groove Armada's most rock & roll moment to date. Neneh Cherry lends her sultry voice to the lusty funk-fuelled hip-hop of "Groove Is On" and the urban soul of "Think Twice," and "Remember," with its languorous beat and swirling effects, nods toward their downbeat prime. Feisty dance-floor shakers are here in force, though. "Madder," mixing the raps of MC M.A.D. with a pulsating bass and itchy guitar hook, kicks hard, and "The Final Shakedown" is an undiluted house anthem, albeit with a feisty ragga vocal. But one of the most surprising tracks is the rich, soul-drenched sophistication of "Hands of Time," a gorgeous reflection on love lost featuring the spine-tingling voice of Woodstock folk legend Richie Havens. Love Box is a disarmingly eclectic album, its infectious, maverick, party spirit defying preconceptions. --Christopher Barrett

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars This album should be called "Glove Box!" January 21, 2003

By Omid Tavallai

Format:Audio CD

This album should be called "Glove Box," simply because you'll want to keep it in that portion of your vehicle for those times when you really need a soundtrack for your drive. With that said, this is not a chill-out album for drives in the countryside. Although it has its fair share of downtempo grooves, it's loaded with addictive head-bouncers that will have you pounding your palms against the steering wheel between gears.

While "Purple Haze" is a typically good intro track, something GA has been very adept at, it's a bit of a departure and doesn't fully fit. The album, to me, starts at "Groove Is On," a bouncy-yet-smooth number with flowing, gravelly hip hop and Neneh Cherry's sultry vocals.

"The Final Shakedown" features energetic reggae upstart Red Rat on vocals and should become one of the year's top club tunes, proving that the previous album's Grammy-nominated "Superstylin'" was no fluke in bringing ragga vibes to house music. Also bound to be a great club stomper is "Easy," a Sunshine Anderson-mic'ed house tune that seems to share some DNA with Andy Cato's side project, Weekend Players.

The band even take a grooved out Beatles-esque (don't you love that term?) turn on "Tuning In," which is also reminiscent of early 90's Manchester psychedelia in some ways.

"Madder" is an absolutely rockin' tune, with an energy that captures the vibe of their amazing full-band performance at the Glastonbury Festival - including the rain, the bright lights, and the thousands of people bouncing up anddown in unison. It stands as a testament to Groove Armada's capabilities as a band.

Unfortunately, the factor preventing this from being a five-star review is something a friend pointed out immediately: The order of the tracks. While the downtempo numbers are every bit as good as the standouts above, the fast song - slow song - fast song nature of the album tends to disrupt the flow for general listening. As amazing as Richie Havens' voice still sounds after all these years (on "Hands of Time"), it just shows up on the wrong part of the album.

But even with this track order, if you slide this album in your car stereo on the right day, you could find "Glove -" er... "Love Box" to be the perfect CD to match the syncopated pace of traffic over a one-hour drive between cities. (This CD has been road tested on the Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose.)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very groovy: picks up where 'Goodbye Country...' left off November 18, 2003

By Manny Hernandez HALL OF FAME

Format:Audio CD

After the incredible 'Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)' the dynamic duo came back with an album that reverberates as funkier in the early stages, much in the same fashion as their counterpart DJ duo Basement Jaxx did with their latest production. However, in spite of the very soulful (perhaps groovy, should I say?) opening of the album, it has to be said that the general trend of the album picks up where their previous production left off. A good example of this are the contagious track #6, "Final Shakedown" and #8, "Hands of Time" were Richie Havens once again lent his beautiful voice to complement the Armada's work. My favorite track, hands down, is the album's closer... Pure Groove Armada.

Though it might come accross as a demanding rating, I 'only' give it four stars, because they sound very much like they did 2-3 years ago, in spite of today's evolving dance scene. There are traces of evolution, however for the most part, they got stuck in a safe place, where they know that the public will continue to love them. But don't dismiss it as a bad album! Far from that: I'd much rather stick with an average Groove Armada album (not that this is the case) than most of the dance music out there, but I know these guys have more to give than a 'Love Box'. For sure I will stay tuned for their next production.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I know I am biased but, I LIKE IT March 26, 2003

By Gertjan Hofwegen

Format:Audio CD

I just can't help myself, I own every little bit of music these guys ever created/remixed and yes, I am a bit biased but again, this is a great album, very diverse. It has some hip-hop elements, a lot of classic house, a tear-jerker and some free-style stuff and frankly, that is exactly what I expect from Groove Armada, they sure know how to mix it up and just keep on doing their own thing.