Same as It Never Was [Vinyl]

Herbaliser | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (May 27, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: K7
• ASIN: B00171NYNG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #737,396 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Time Out New-York

Originally a jazzy trip-hop act, The Herbaliser now makes a kind of horn-drenched hyperfunk. The songs- and they are real songs, not just tracks- reference everything from Tower of Power and Chicago to Aretha Franklin and Quincy Jones

Grander and more orchestral than previous efforts. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

With their debut for !K7 Records out at the end of May, it's clear that The Herbaliser's evolution is still in progress. As the title suggests, Same As It Never Was sees The Herbaliser employing more of a live band sound (indicative of their transition from a duo to a five piece), showing that they can produce scratchy funk to rival groups like the Dap Kings and El Michaels Affair. With guest vocalists including Jean Grae of the Okayplayer camp and their signature knack for reflective songs that still bump, it's clear that more than ten years into their history, The Herbaliser's sonic trajectory is still picking up steam. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Headphone Commute Review, June 29, 2008

By 

Headphone Commute - See all my reviews

This review is from: Same As It Never Was (Audio CD)

So what exactly prompted The Herbaliser to release Same As It Never Was on the infamous Studio !K7? After all, their deep discography is tied almost exclusively to Ninja Tune [if anyone knows the answer, drop me a line]. Since 1995, Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry have released five studio albums and two live mixes on Fabric (see my previous review of Fabric.26), not to mention a dozen singles, appearances and remixes. The group has also grown from an original duo into a full 5-piece band - you have to check out the amazing Session One album (Department H., 2000). Same As It Never Was indeed sounds a bit more funky, as the group is attempting to trace the hip-hop roots and bring back the elements of jazz, r&b, and soul. This time they are also joined by the London based "22-year soul diva" Jessica Darling - who lays her lovely voice so smoothly over the grooves - really brings back the fun of the 70s. The track Can't Help This Feeling will validate any doubts. NYC based Jean Grae (aka What? What?) returns with an excellent track, Street Karma (A Cautionary Tale) previously collaborating with The Herbaliser on Take London (Ninja Tune, 2005). Revitalizing the genre, The Herbaliser sparks a wave of nu-soul, if you will, across the continent. It would be a pleasure to watch them live. My typical artist cloud for The Herbaliser would include DJ Food, The Cinematic Orchestra, Funki Porcini, DJ Krush and Up, Bustle and Out.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hip soundtrack to a Blaxploitation movie that never was!!, September 15, 2008

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Same As It Never Was (Audio CD)

The Herbaliser are a Jazz/Funk/Hip Hop duo from the UK, and listening to their new CD "Same as it never was" is like stepping back into the seventies to some Blaxploitation movie. Loads of horns, groovy basslines and funky beats.

Opening is the title track which is largely a funky instrumental with darting horns, organ and an incredible bassline. There are 3 other instrumentals; "The next spot" (with an almost Afrobeat feel), the awesome "Amores Bongo" (a delightful guitar/horn/percussion mix that sounds like it should be some movie soundtrack), and the more mellow "Blackwater drive".

Five songs feature vocalist Jessica Darling, "On your knees", "Can't help this feeling", "You're not all that", "Clap your hands" (these four are retro funk ditties James Brown/Sly & The Family Stone-style) and the sprawling 6 minute plus opus "Stranded on Earth" (a psychedelic sounding number with deep bass, Hip hop beats kicking in about 2 minutes in, and Jessica's few vocals coming in the final 2 minutes). This song is simply amazing!

There are a trio of Hip hop numbers "Just won't stop" features Yungun aka Essa, a Rap touching on the changes technology has brought to social life (Youtube, Myspace, etc). "Street karma (a cautionary tale)" is a midtempo rap with a creepy vibe, horns and sound effects (a car revving, kids playing, etc) adding to the drama. It features Jean Grae on vocals, and is a tale about the violent life on the streets. "Game set and match" features More or Les in a spitfire Rap delivery and some nice guitar effects.

I'm going to hunt down their other releases. This is simply superb!

2 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost There..., June 13, 2008

By 

B. Poulin (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Same As It Never Was (Audio CD)

I have been interested in The Herbaliser for a couple of years, having been introduced to some of their intrumental tracks on internet radio stations. I could never bring myself to buy one of their CD's because, outside of these great intrumentals, the music is rap, and I don't like rap.

In this latest release, The Herbaliser is moving away from rap. There are only three rap tracks on the CD and they are bearable. The rest of the album is all excellent, with great instrumentals and vocal tracks.

The formula is an energetic and upbeat mix of hip-hop and funk, with a lot of inspiration/sampling from seventies film music and fifties big band sound.

Yes, this time I bought it. Highly recommended.

Here's hoping that for their next release, The Herbaliser ditches rap

completely, for a five-star rating