Sincere

Sincere is a great song. Rest ok 3/5

Hm. Although there's nothing really wrong with this album, it just didn't work for me. Maybe it's just that I'm not a "UK Garage" fan (although I'm not really sure I understand what that term even means), or it's just the somewhat antiseptic sound (the same problem I have with lots of drum-n-bass music, although I do give credit to MJ Cole for playing a number of actual/live instruments on some tracks), but whatever the reason this felt like an instantly forgettable album with no real personality, although I do enjoy Elisabeth Troy's vocals. The only tracks that stood out for me were "Bandelero desperado", "Rough out here", and "Slum king", and even those weren't all that spectacular. Sorry Matt Coleman!

lively electronica--not quite interesting enough on its, sort of energetic background music

I feel like this guy needs to invest in a more versatile beat machine 🥴. Started off alright, but then lost me at some point. 3

Nice light late 90s sample house, nothing controversial. It's annoying that there's no non-deluxe on spotify bc I'm curious what a not 2-hour long version looks like.

I guess this is (mostly) listenable but nothing special and not sure why it's on this list other than the writer liked it. The tracks with Elisabeth Cole were the best part to me, but overall too repetitive.

I wasn’t opposed to this.

I didn't need to listen to this before I die. Background music for a corporate bar. Fine within the genre it belongs but all very similar to my ear.

Good for some time… later repetitive

Well more generic EDM and I know it's probably not technically EDM but you know what I mean and no I don't need an explanation on why it's not. I did like that it mostly went by without me noticing it.

Don't quite understand why this album gets so much shit in the reviews. It's not great. But I don't think it's terrible either. I will say it gets pretty repetitive however. But I'll give it 3 still

Ambiguo. 2.5

Correcto

I found this easy to listen to while working. It was propulsive without being repulsive, so it kept me going through the workday.

Not a bad album. Had it in the background while playing Garry's Mod with friends, and I think that's the setting it performs in. Mindless backdrop noise to whatever you're doing that most of your brain is occupied with. The music isn't bad, but it's just so generic and bland and lacking in memorability. Like there's no real reason why your co-worker's bandcamp project should be on this list. But in all fairness, it really isn't that bad. It just kinda carries on the same "meh sure" vibe throughout.

First of all, this is more UK garage or House than Electronica. Second, the link to Apple Music is to the Deluxe version with an additional 2nd disc, so the originally released album is much shorter. That said, it's well produced but gets a bit repetitive after some time as the rhythm patterns are mostly the same. However, repetition is a kind of trademark for garage music, so that's not a big surprise here.

Fine - but I’m glad Daft Punk saved House music

Agradável e competente. Os instrumentais de garage são sempre envolventes, e eu gostei da sequência do disco, só ignorar os remixes. Não causou uma impressão imensa em mim nem nada, mas foi um bom álbum e eu salvei algumas de suas faixas. Já em outras, os vocais não foram totalmente do meu agrado, diria até que eu preferiria se algumas canções específicas fossem instrumentais. Mas ao todo, nada mal. Passa batido. A capa feia causa uma péssima impressão. Acho que foi a pior capa que peguei no projeto até então. 3/5

It was very generic early 2000s British summer music. Something quite nostalgic about it for me personally. A bit cringe too but decent beats! 3 ⭐️

[6/10]

Very influential. Dated for sure. I do quite like it though. UK garage memories. Low 3

Today’s album includes two of my favourite garage tracks if not two of my favourite dance tracks full stop, I have it on Cd and spin it occasionally but it’s a long record that doesn’t work in album format for me, 3/5

It honestly sounds like a shopping mall clothing store. Not bad, per se, but not memorable. And I know of some eletronic artists of the same vibe that delivered better songs and feels. It's an album. Ok, but not really good.

3.5 brunch n bass ;) probably a lil over long

I dunno tbh. And I mean that sincerely

hard to say... it was most certainly music, that i can confirm

A pleasant surprise and a great mix of styles, but why is it so long?

Tää kuulosti enemmän alkuun sellaiselta triphop/downbeatlevyltä josta voisin tykkää, mutta ehkä ylimittaisuus vähän söi tätä. 3/5

Ein stilvolles UK-Garage-Debüt mit eleganter Produktion und souligen Vocals. Tracks wie „Sincere“ und „Crazy Love“ glänzen, doch das Album verliert sich stellenweise in Länge und gleichförmigen Beats. Technisch stark, emotional aber nicht durchgehend packend. Solide, aber nicht überragend.

I liked this album. Easy listen. I will add this to my music rotation.

3.6

Sopivaa musiikkia työnteon taustalle, mutta eipä jäänyt yksikään biisi mieleen kuitenkaan.

Really fun album that reminds me of my younger years at raves, when electronic music like this was really getting popular in the States. It's a really nice vibe throughout this record and evokes positivity and good times. Was a bit caught by surprise when I saw one of my favorite producers, Dilla (Jay Dee) featured on a track - dope!

Decent

It's a flaming bag of ??

This is definitely the 1001 team saying to themselves - "shit, we don't have enough electronic-related albums on here. What's something big recently - Ah! 2-step." This is a pretty average 2-step release, for an already very niche sub-genre of UK Garage music. I think the second half of the album made me come around a little bit. Songs like Crazy Love and You're Mine actually used some good vocals / samples. While the album doesn't break through into anything stellar, it sits comfortably and doesn't bother you. Probably a little bit too long at almost 70 minutes but its a electronic release from the early 2000s.

Decent electronic. Not the best all round but probably just about deserves a 3

didn't listen to much, quite liked what I did listen to though

Someone else said it sounds like music from hotel bars, and that nails it. I don't mind it though, although two hours is waaaay too long. It's not as good as Madvillainy.

Приятно. Весьма. Давно не слушал драм-н-бейс, аж захотелось еще повспоминать

The way this things been reviewed I thought it would end up sucking, but it was pretty viby ngl. I like the remixes on the second half more (listened to it on spotify, the deluxe album). No shot in hell I listen to the whole thing all the way thru again, but def gonna revisit some of these remixes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this album. But its cover kinda does a good job of giving you a heads up in hindsight. The cover (if u don’t know) is a shopping bag on fire sitting on a clear glass table. Which is funny cause it really sounds like elevated mall music. Like every single song on this album would be so at home inside a Calvin Klein or Hollister, etc. But don’t brush it off, it’s actually really really good. Like at first I was underwhelmed but by like the second half of the album I was totally sold on it. It’s great work or cleaning music. I can’t pretend like it blew me away or changed me life, but I liked it.

This was a really fun one. The first five tracks were definitely my favourites. Although the long run-time, it never felt like it was dragging or out of ideas. Just a really consistent project!

Some fun tracks with a lot of R&B and hip hop vocals on top. Mostly chill vibes. 3.5 going down.

I can't find the last two songs on the album, so I'm going to assume they're very similar to the two songs that share their titles and let it go. Decent album. Probably best as background music. My favourite was Crazy Love.

Great background music, terrible active listening.

i know someone who is into uk garage and would rate this 5 stars but that someone isn't me

this was actually a bop.

Better than expected. The vocals help with the monotony of the dance beats. I did save a track or 2 and that's nice. Nothing too crazy but a decent time

Favorite Track: Crazy Love

060925 17:03 3.5

Alright techno/ trance (something along those lines). I've heard at least one if not more songs in various compilations.

I listened to this in my car and as soon as the music started my upper buddy had an auto sway dance response. I have heard this before, maybe not the group but the sound. Then it hit me, while waiting in a room for my aesthetician to drain my bank account this is the music they play through out the practice and I sway out of irritation of the wait and boredom. With that said because the production of the album was done well I gave it 3* however it will only ever be listened in the waiting room, its not my jam.

Better than rap

Хороший 2step альбом, бенгерів вистачає. Мені там де він в більш спокійний лаунж настрій переходить не те що не сподобалось, а скоріше хотілось продовження. Ще голос у вокалістки прям типовий UK, ліг як треба.

3.5 Під певний настрій така музика (юк гередж?) мені дуже заходить, а деякі пісні тут прям взагалі супер. Але не сподобався другий диск, де всілякі ремікси ітд ітп.

Not bad, but very dated sounding. Instantly recognizable as 90s (despite being released in 2000).

If anyone ever said to me “I think I need to listen to some Garage music”, I would happily point them in the direction of this album For that reason alone, I think it’s deserving of its place on this list, that said the Spotify version checks in over two hours long, which is way beyond my attention span. Musically, it’s really well produced, and takes me back to an era when I was living in London and was exposed to this kind of sound on a regular basis. it was never really my thing but I can however appreciate it for what it is. Of all the garage out there, this is definitely one artist that I feel I could give time of day. It is surprisingly consistent and offers variety, but is way too long and starts to lose me towards the end of disc 1. Bottom line - It’s never getting more than 3 stars because of its torturous length but is well worth a listen as a stand out example of its genre.

Pretty fun dance album

If it was waaaay shorter, I probably would have appreciated it more. Every song is just too long. This album could have done better with under an hour of music. Other than that, ignoring the boredom, it was enjoyable.

Really cool but very repetitive and long

It's okay, not the biggest fan of 2 step but there's some cool production here

Cool background music but absolutely tedious to actually listening to.

Okay to get some work done at my PC. Otherwise, pretty boring and repetitive. 3/5

I think there is some good stuff on this album, but it is much much too long, and it is too repetitive. If it would have been 40 minutes or an hour with more variety, it could be really great. However, it's mostly something to put on in the background with just two or three standout songs that, again, even lose some of their luster when in the middle of so much of the same beats and sounds.

This was so fine???? Nothing special but not unpleasant to listen to. Made me nostalgic for my childhood.

Influential for its time, but from a modern perspective it’s thin and repetitive. Given its emergence on the verge of a technological boom, it’s actually a surprisingly nuanced and interesting album. But it’s too long

Real good. Way too long.

Listened to this with Fred in the car ion the way to watch the cricket in Manchester. Apparently, it's a seminal work of UK Garage. Some of the vocals are very good soul but the musicality really lacks groove and feeling.

3.5/5

Gave it a try. Not a bad listen, just not for me.

not for me

It’s fine Production is solid

This is an ok sound. Good rhythms but not really my kind of music

2000s British Electronica. Garage. Ambient music with R&B flavours.

It's all right

Didn’t need a double disc album of this

Very fun! More exciting than I thought it would be. I forgot how fun jungle beat can be. Such a 90s feel, but very fun.

On kyllä niin perus Dance levy niin perus, mutta iso luotto 1000 pv jälkeen book author(s) löytänä parhaan mahdollisen dance levyn niin otetaan +2 star lisää

Good example of 2000 UK EDM. It starts off alright and becomes boring after a couple of minutes.

Итс... окэй. Может быть без этого альбома не было бы Буриала, что конечно очень грустно, и одновременно с этим я тут влепил 4 звезды отцу и матери днб два альбома назад, что как бы ставит меня в неловкое положение: неужели днб более жанр, чем тустеп, юкей гарадж, или как это вообще назвать? Итс окэй. Лучшая песня - Sincere.

Too many songs

If I were younger, i might enjoy the never ending dance beat over the same phrases repeated again and again. I loved it back in the day when disco did the same thing in their dance clubs. Now I can appreciate the innovation and the drive to make something new, but I don't have the patience to listen to two hours of dance music with a driving beat. 3/5

Feels like shopping for jeans at Forever 21 in the early 2000s.

ok as background music

A nice chill electronic music album, great to listen to while doing something as its simple and doesn't require much focus. Not something I would go out of my way to listen to, but I'm glad I did while I was doing some other tasks :)

3.5

first listen it's alright

Didn’t listen to all of it…. 2 hours of chill dance wasn’t really my vibe for the day. Good listen though, I will return to it.

Chill vibes

I guess this is in here because MJ Cole typifies the garage two-step sound which was massive in the UK in the early 00s. I was never a big fan, I can appreciate the production values but found it dragged over a whole LPs worth

This was just before I started to listen to "worldly" music, and I can hear a lot of inspiration for other artists I discovered.

Mediocre

Straight middle of the road. Not bad, did not love

That's not my taste in music - But ok

UK Garage classic!! Når det er sagt synes jeg det er mye filler her. Crazy Love og Sincere er begge all time bangers, og MJ FM Interlude er fet og representativ når det kommer til UK Garage-kultur, men resten er ganske halvveis.

Pretty dated but quite a fun nostalgia trip, shouldn’t be on the list tho

I stick with the 1001 album generator because it has helped me discover some really good music, but albums like this test my resolve. This is not a terrible album, but it is a terribly generic one. Almost nothing here stands out. Powerfully average. Being number 42 on the Slough Observer's House-On-Fire™ Top 50 House Albums For 2000 should not be the sole qualifier for making the 1001 list.

Reading the reviews you'd think this album was on trial for crimes against humanity. When in fact it's just a fairly middle-of-the-road example of UK Garage. It's certainly not offensive. And it's very easy to listen to when working, and keeps the motivation up. But on the other hand it is entirely replaceable; there's little here that is "special". So I'm hovering between a 2 or a 3, but I've had it on twice today already so that's a 3 in my books.

3,5

Good example of the genre, and some good beats.

This is much better than a lot of the reviews would have you believe. I did however expect Craig David to pop up at any minute!! Some good stuff on here but the deluxe version is way too long.

This is one of those things where I think a person probably just had to be there…and I wasn’t. However, the album did grow on me the further I listened.

You can hear the impact that this had on dub step and grime, but this is sitting on the couch while ur wife tries on outfits mall music. Not always a bad thing.

coworker music lol

basically study beats for me. all techno sounds derivative of this now so I understand why this is on the list

So 2000's it hurts

girl who's never listened to anything except the persona 3 soundtrack listening to sincere by mj cole for the first time: this gives me persona 3 vibes

Eh, it was pretty good at first, got tired of listening by the end. The remixes on the deluxe version were god awful though, I couldn't get through them.

Для того щоб трохи було зрозуміліше чому цей альбом, насправді, дуже і дуже гарний, особисто для мене, потрібно трохи більш уважніше подивитись на його жанр 2-Step , що отримав розвиток наприкінці 90-х, і Cole був одним із провідних його продюсерів. 2-Step виділявся, головним чином тим, що відмовлявся від звичного для #garagehouse диско-ритму «Four-on-the-floor», пропонуючи більш цікаві «ритмічні збивки». Його звучання доволі тендітне, чілове та атмосферне, але фанковий бас та біт, ця музика все ще є танцювальною. Саме його винахідливі ритмічні малюнки, надихнуть геніального Burial на створення свого шедеврального альбому Untrue (2007), і тим самим, дадуть життя більш розумному та експериментальному жанру - future garage, елементи якого, дуже просто почути в Sincere. Проте головною фішкою цього альбому є soul вокалісти, які прийняли в ньому участь. Саме завдяки ним, пісні тут відчуваються вишуканими та мають своєрідний «ретро стиль». Звісно, Sincere, сам по собі, важко назвати, прямо таки, видатним альбомом. Але це, все ще, доволі гарна танцювальна музика зі своїм унікальним вайбом та характером, яку зараз роблять все менше і менше

Whereas "Reggatta de Blanc" was "music to put on while doing chores" this is "music to put on while doing chores (video games)" but better. Enjoyable all the way through. Clearly well put together with intent behind every choice. Very nice time.

6/10 Doesn’t amount to one of the best Dance albums from the UK for me but there are absolutely some highlights, 2-Step and Garage are great styles of EDM but it’s hard to maintain that consistency over the course of more than an hour. For like a quick second when I rolled this album I thought it was a pop up ad for perfume

Not really my musical style and goes on and on and on.

Didn’t really listen. Not my cup of tea, but it seemed to be musically competent .

Very “of the time” dance music. Good when cleaning and working on stuff. Subwoofer is a must or you miss 50% of the music.

I'm not opposed to bleeps and bloods and there was a fair amount of variety here. Some vocals I liked more than others. Could've done with an edit. Overall a mixed bag that shakes out at alright and no better.

Pretty mid except the opening track which is cool. 3.1

I feel like there's so much to know about dance music and I'm just ignorant. This is pretty cool, with lots to listen to, but not so hypnotic that you couldn't drive a car.

UK Garage, not for everyone.

Party music, to be... sincere

Chill beats with jazz elements and a boomy, but background, bass sound. Re the vocals, I thought the Elisabeth Troy tracks were nice, but I didn't like the couple of Danny Vicious ones. I suppose I share people's confusion over why it's here; it sounds dated to me too, for 2000. Personally though, I didn't mind that, and I'm not sure why so many "it's hideously boring" reviews are showing at the top. It's pretty chill and enjoyable. Long, though. (Note - I just listened to a single he released last year. It sounds exactly the same as Sincere, 24 years later. I'm not sure what that means.)

Lofi vibe that I liked well enough to use it periodically as background, but not well enough to ever buy the album.

You know, for being one of the lowest rated albums on this whole site (tied for 18th to be exact as of writing this) Sincere isn't half bad. Most of these songs feel like they would be songs that would play during the daily life segments of the Persona games and i love the soundtracks of those games so this kinda resonated with me. I can see the issue of the songs using the same beats throughout the whole thing some how so it can get really repetitive but the other parts of the songs were pretty cool including all the little ambient sounding parts. This is actually a pretty solid album and if the songs used different beats, I could see people liking this album quite a lot more. Best Song: Hold On To Me Worst Song: Slum King

68/100. What I always find interesting about 2-step is how it feels like time travel whenever I listen to it. Out of all genres, 2-step gives me the biggest sense of nostalgia. That said, I don’t really enjoy the genre much—same goes for this album. It’s alright, but a bit long and outdated.

3.75

#90 - I thought it was listenable. But way too long.

So the only thing I knew about this artist was that he had a hit with "Sincere" the single, and that I quite liked it when it dropped in the late 90s. That set me up to think this would be a good album. Then I saw the runtime, over 2 hours long. Then I saw how many remixes of "Sincere" there were, which I guess is why the album is called "Sincere". Finally, I noted that the original (good) mix of "Sincere" wasn't anywhere to be seen. Okay, so you had a hit, made an album to capitalise on the hit, even going with the exact same name, but then you don't put the hit on the album in its original form, instead you put on three remixes of varying quality. Listening to the album, it was generic garage with very synthetic instruments, not much in the way of hooks, just "mood music", two hours of the same, rather beige mood. It was actually decent background music, as it was too generic to grate really, apart from a few places where guest vocalists were a little too jarring. I would normally have gone with 3 stars, but I'm deducting 1 star for the extreme length, and repetitiveness, particularly because there's a few tracks that appear multiple times as remixes, which seems excessive. But then I checked Wikipedia and discovered, to my horror, that the album I listened to on Spotify bears little resemblance to the actual album as it was released. What a time wasting experience this has been. I'm going back to my original 3 star rating, as the playtime halved, and most of the remixes went away. It's still generic garage, but it's half-decent in a few places I suppose, and generic garage is still quite enjoyable.

This album really got me thinking because when I was listening to it, I was pretty unimpressed. The album was majority electronic beats that didn’t seem too exciting. However in MJ Cole’s bio it said “easy to overlook” but he was a trailblazer in EDM beats in the 90s. And since this album was from 2000 I guess it was one of the first of its kind. So now I’m torn.

Softcore porn tracks.

Some good moments.

A fun bit of RnB

Interesante, pero no es lo mío.

This is great. I’ve never heard of this person. Like a faster tempo DJ Shadow. I like it a lot. Vibing with this. Love the samples and chill vibe. The main detractor here are the vocals for me. They seem unnecessary mostly. They aren’t signing about anything other than generic love or romance type lyrics. Lots of “babe” and “baby” type lyrics. I’d really dig a fully instrumental album. I think this album will end up being a four star instead of a five star honestly because the vocals are fine but I don’t prefer them. I would prefer this to be fully instrumental because the music is that good. These vocals really ruin this for me. The lyrics of some of these songs are also like really trying to be intellectual they use words like reverie and sheepishness that I don’t think I’ve ever heard in a song before. They aren’t inherently bad but the way they’re kind of wedged into the lyrics seems intentional. Might get bumped to a 3 star. These vocals and lyrics and getting worse for me. The music is so great such a shame.

Quite surprised to see uk garage making it onto the list :D Not a bad album, old school garage, I sometimes think today's garage should adopt more of the old school vibe too. Solid 3 for me

Was ok

It's alright I guess

decent

it never ends

ok

Ok its way too long but if you skip through the highlights this is a really good example of old school garage I fw it

Oh, this difficult. First impression was "2 hours? For fuck's sake!" I automatically dock a star, it's just what it is. But then I heard that familiar beat, like an old friend who I haven't seen in years. It is a garage album! That genre I so loved in my late teens/early 20s. I got really into it, but near the end of the first hour, the repetition got to me and I still had another hour to. Once again strengthening my opinion: an album that long can easily lose half the tracks (or more) and it will always be an improvement. Cut the fat, stop being so in love with yourself. This could've been an easy 5 stars for me, if it did not outstay its welcome. Old friend or not, stop the yap.

I can get why so many people on here are hating this, it does go on for far too long and the songs are particularly exciting or interesting. But...I grew up right in this era of UK garage so this whole sound is incredibly nostalgic to me, so for that reason I can't bring myself to dislike it. It is essential? Probably not, but hey, there's a handful of bangers in here.

Solid albumn for the style of music it was. A little too synth for me

Not my thing.

I thought it started out strong but was left underwhelmed as it went on. Cole had a vision here but it just wasn't all that interesting of one. Slum King is a banger though

Early 2000s house, great for putting you in a trance on a long flight (can confirm). Though i recently had another early 2000s house album on this list, “Since I Left You” by The Avalanches, which IMO felt like the superior production

Enjoyable. 3.5

Early Garage.... I wasn't a fan then but I can appreciate the evolution from DnB and other dance music into it through this album

Fair to middling.

An eclectic collection of 90s techno tracks that still have relevancy today.

Actually decent record - not my genre but didn’t mind it - it’s a tasteful house record but probably I’ll never actively seek it out.

Pretty good background music. While all electronic there was some variety in the songs. The vocals were pretty good. I didn't listen to disc 2 because it was just remixes of the first one.

Fine. Too long. A lot sounds the same.

And so this is Garage / And what have you done? / Another album listened to / I suppose it was fun? I'm in a Christmas-y mood. I put this on. It was alright. I could largely ignore it. It was like listening to the radio. I didn't mind it but I will never listen to it again.

Not bad

EDM würde ich glaub ich echt nicht hören, das ist auch mehr E als D, aber geht schon hart

3☆/5 07.23.2024

Fun at times, great beats, super soulful but a little went a long way.

- Irgendwie ganz cool, aber irgendwie auch richtig 2000er - Weiß gar nicht, ob das schon Drum n Bass ist oder irgendeine hybride Zwischenform. - Letzten Ende konnte die Platte trotz des eigentlich chilligen Vibes nicht über den zu präsenten 2000er Flair hinwegretten. 2,75/5

Parece OST de um jogo de corrida. Legal, mas não de se ouvir direto.

Not my bag at all. I didn't hate it by any means, it's just not what gets me going.

I was around during UK Garage, but I couldn't have been further away from the scene if I tried so when this popped up I was dismayed. However I'm going to give it some credit. The basic building blocks were solid and hit me with a wave of nostalgia and the tracks including the single didn't annoy me. The Spotify link takes you to a double extended album and I didn't go past the original album but I didn't hate it.

First time listening.. groovy, fresh, cool

One of the heads on the Mount Rushmore of UKG, but this is a singles genre not an album one

Is aiight

This was super listenable and I might put on some tracks for a dance party, but a little forgettable. 3.5, going to

Enjoyable 2000 sample heavy beat kinda clubin music.

Got tired of the extended version. Type of music you'd hear in hip cafes in Scotland.

Fa molto anni 90/00, quell'R&B ambient da Zara/Abercrombie & Fitch che a volte ti gasa, a volte ti rompe. 'Sincere' molto carina

Perfect music to just space out to. The sparseness of this UK Garage release works in this album's favor in that sense - but it also left me hoping for something more, instrumentally speaking. The 2-step drum patterns are slick and the strange flourishes of piano laced throughout work well enough to create an overall enjoyable vibe. It's also very diverse - the direct RnB cut 'Rough Out Here', for instance, is so far removed from the opener. The main standout of this album was its features. My favorites were the neo-soul and rnb-styled singing and riffing of Elizabeth Troy and the MC'ing of Danny Vicious. It works wonders when they band together on the short punchy 'MJ FM Interlude'. In general, though, my favorite song had to be 'Crazy Love', I loved Elisabeth on this one. While its briskness was charming and hypnotic and there were some strange standout moments instrumentally like the ominous string-driven 'Strung Out', I was still left wanting more out of this album—still an enjoyable first album by MJ Cole.

Can't connect. Slightly more interesting than elevator music. Might try again. Someday.

Boy, this is a really tough one for me to rate. Hate the electronica dance music with the constant same sounding drum beat and this album has a lot of that sound. But the singing of Elisabeth Troy was really impressive and I found myself enjoying the songs when she was singing. Hell, I'll take it a step further and say this could have been a really good old fashioned R&B album, but too much of the elecronica stuff fucked it up. Guy S'Mone singing You're Mine and Rough Out Here with Concept Noir were a couple other tunes I enjoyed. Give me a shorter album with just Elisabeth Troy, Guy S'Mone and Concept Noir singing and this could have been something pretty special, instead they wore me out with that damn same sounding electronic drum and beat. Over 2 hours didn't help either. Really enjoyed some of the singers, especially Elisabeth (my daughter's middle name), but this album worn me down with that damn electronica sound. I'm going with 2.5 but will round up to a 3 for the singers, Troy, S'Mone and Noir. Especially Troy, thought she was great. 2.5

A nice and soothing album.

Можно ли оценить хорошую музыку как плохую из-за ее длины и повторяемости? Это очень приятный электропоп, но он в каждой из песен предлагает подобный же набор инструментов и приемов Алкоальбом: пиво за 1 евро

Too many remixes

MJ Cole's debut album Sincere is a slick and polished exploration of UK garage and 2-step that showcases his production prowess but occasionally sacrifices grit for mainstream crossover appeal. The album's production is undeniably impressive, with Cole's classical training and ear for intricate arrangements elevating the genre's typical dancefloor beats. Tracks like the lush "Sanctuary" and the funky "Rough Out Here" demonstrate his knack for layering live instrumentation and subtle melodic flourishes over infectious rhythms. Vocalists Elisabeth Troy and Nova Casper provide soulful performances, with Troy's emotive delivery shining on hits like "Crazy Love" and the title track. Cole's versatility is also on display, as he deftly blends elements of house, R&B, and downtempo across the album's 17 tracks. However, Sincere's pursuit of mainstream acceptance can undermine its underground roots at times. The rapping of Danny Vicious on tracks like "Attitude" feels out of place and gimmicky. Additionally, some of the smoother, jazz-inflected cuts like "Strung Out" lack the raw energy that made UK garage so captivating. While Cole's production chops are undeniable, the album's overlong runtime and lack of cohesion can make it feel disjointed and unfocused. Moments of brilliance are offset by stretches that feel like watered-down concessions to pop sensibilities. Ultimately, Sincere is a solid debut that showcases MJ Cole's talents but doesn't fully capitalize on the genre's innovative spirit, sacrificing some edge for mainstream palatability.

I'm not a huge fan of this style of music and it's a very long album, but I did enjoy it. It's good background music. It did feel repetitive, but I think that's the nature of the genre.

Nice beats you got there, be a shame if they were repetitive and had some lady singing the same line over them for the entire duration. Still enjoyable. 6/10

Favourite tracks: slum king; crazy love

cool

Parece que finalmente llegó el otoño a San Juan. Llegó también este artista que, felizmente, desconocía por completo. House para escuchar de fondo en una reunión, tragos mediante. También aplica para la oficina, como toda música que rompa la monotonía diaria. Like it

Bit too long to sustain a whole album, suffers from use the garage/2 step beat with out variation. Two absolute gems on here though ( sincere & crazy love).

Soulful, syncopated and funky in a UK garridge style. Enjoyed it more than I thought. Sounds fresh even after 24 years. Bit of a one trick pony however.

Was just thinking how Electronica is, 72 albums in, my worst liked genre here. I mean, I get it. When you feel the need to have 7 Dylans and 5 Springsteens in your compilation, you are likely not expertly knowledgable in electronic music. Or interested. But you could have asked for help, no? This offering is marginally better than what I've had so far, but it fits right in with the theme of "records I found in the £1 vinyl crate at the flea market": another entry of a safest, blandest and worst aged specimen of [electronic music genre] that had one or two radio friendly hits once. That said, I've always liked the title track and the Jazzanova Remix is something I might still put on and it's all not horrible, but an album of this? You Must Hear Before You Die? Come on.

Fun but got a little repetitive for me

Didn’t know this artist but can tell the timeframe straight-away, early 2000s. I don’t mind it, it’s a British dance sound with R&B mixed in. It’s a little long and not sure I’d listen all the way through again.

Not terrible, but very long. Kind of wish it were just instrumental.

Had some good tracks.

Eh. Some electronic r&b feel but too long an album

Techno / hip-hop

3.1/5 Best Track: Crazy Love

Of it's time, but not awful

Early days of electronic music. Not as developed as today’s electronic music but wasn’t horrible. I enjoyed most of the songs. I’ve heard worse.

another album that has a nice vibe but every song is very very similar from one another, mainly the beats. i know i've said before there's a few albums that are like that but this is probably the clearest example of it which i've heard so far. you'll hear the same drum pattern again and again. plus many of the vocals i found more corny than groovy.... but those few tracks that break the cycle? good stuff. but overall it's only aiiiiiiight.

As might have been suggested by the cover, much of this kind of sounds like early 2000s upscale shopping center music. Listening to it outright made it feel more repetitive and LONG than if I'd been riding escalators and sipping a latte while it pleasantly played in the background. So I liked it fine, but it didn't stand out for me much.

The album suited my task list today that consisted of hours of grading. Enough energy to keep me motivated (at least as motivated that I could be for grading) but nothing to really distract me. I guess I really didn't get what was particularly special about any of it though.

Well, this was long. And not terribly interesting. I liked the straight-up disco of Rough Out Here but was largely underwhelmed by the rest.

Wasn't sure what I was about to listen to. It's like an old-school techno album. But not hardcore. More house leaning. Might be the start of house? Can get a bit repetitive. But generally, enjoyed.

Generally pretty decent R&B but nothing that I need to listen to again.

Some good ideas, some fun songs, most went on way too long for casual listening (at least this casual listener) but would be well suited for the club.

Oli yllätävän hyvä ja toimi hyvin työpäivän ja videopelin taustana. Nykyisellään tykkäisin enemmän jos olisi typistetty yhteen levyyn, mutta elämä on.

Ihan ok genreltään. Pituus söi arvosanaa, niin jää kestikastiin

Dont think Id ever heard of Mj Cole before now. Given the name, the album cover (a designer retail bag with smoke/steam coming out) and released in 2000, I assumed it was going to be R&B or electronic. What I didnt expect were the vocals to be nearly all (if not entirely) female. Overall some really good sounds in here, but there were also a few tracks that felt too repetitive and long. One song the female voice kept saying "put your hand on your hip" and it felt like it went on for 10 minutes lol. Overall a fine album, curious to hear more at some point.

6.5, alright album. I like the soul and what sounds a little like old-school Dubstep in some of these tracks, but it's just too slow to really enjoy as a full album. Many of these tracks are okay but the format of this music does not lend itself that great to an album format in my opinion.

Probably my favorite of anything in the garage genre or anything adjacent that I've heard so far. Some of it is catchy and interesting, but I will most likely not come back to this.

Hörenswert.

As with many of the jungle/garage/electronic records on here, it's very, very long. Found myself tuning out here and there, but enjoying it when I started paying attention. Make of that what you will. Comes complete with the standard 90s "tell the world / stop the war" track in "Rough Out Here". "You're Mine" is a genuinely fantastic song, though. Favorite track: "You're Mine"

Definitely way too long. Definitely much more listenable than Orbital which so far has been the low water mark by which I will judge all other albums. I made the mistake of looking at some reviews first and thought maybe it would be a 2 star max but I think it should get a bump to a 3.

Listened Before? No Not sure why, but the combination of artist name and album cover had me expecting R&B. So far, this is off to a very different start with a dance electro beat lead by a piano hook, and giving way mid way to some stanky bass. Seems a natural predecessor to Disclosure. I'm into this. Backgrounded this for most of the listen. Found myself engaged intermittently with few specific high points. Sincere is a nice DmB jam that feels particularly fresh. Some movement in the background keeps an otherwise repeating instrumental line interesting through its 5:30 playtime. This started out hot, but ended up fizzling quite a bit toward the middle. I enjoyed parts, but did not find enough here to love. 3 / 5. Added to Library? No

The techno beat to start caught me a little off guard, but I enjoyed it for a bit. Then it just got repetitive. This album oozes early 2000's. It reminds me of the Music Choice channels on TVs. British people rapping will always amuse me. It has such a Caribbean influence and the slang is hilarious. All in all, pretty long and boring album, but I've heard worse. 2.5 rounding up.

That album was very confusing to listen to correctly on Spotify or Youtube becausue there were so many different versions of songs. Hopefully I listened to it correctly. But I thought it was a pretty cool album that brought something different with the early 2000s electronic. It was a nice album to listen to while I was pwning noobs in Guild Wars because of the constant upbeat. For sure a situational album because if I listened to it doing something different I probably wouldn't like it as much.

Smooth DnB. Nice to have on while doing other things

Nog nice o chill men int min helt favorit sorts dnb

It was good. It was not great.

Perfectly fine and indicative of the times. Too long, as many of these early oughts electronic albums are.

Was enjoyable

Never heard of the artist nor the album. . . it's a mix tape. a good one.

Sincerely mid

This is not a style I'm into, but the production on this record actually kept me pretty engaged. Some of the sonic quality of the samples used just really tickled my fancy, even if it was constantly peppered with the same house beats. 3.4/5

Very repetitive, but somehow still enjoyed it. I won't probably spend a lot of time with it, but I didn't dislike it. It was fun, in a way. 3/5

Decent for what it is but not my thing, and it doesn’t do much to change my mind in that regard. C-

Decent UK garage album, though trying to match the tracklist of the original album with what was available on Spotify was a pain. Not something I would listen to again, but it was unobjectionable background music.

Listened to about half of and realized it was 2 hours long. Liked what I heard but jeeze.

Impeccable production, album starts with very drag and drop sample repetition for the first few songs, Maybe this was groundbreaking at the time but it seems unremarkable now. Attitude had kind of a trance-y feel but the vocal hook got pretty annoying. Album seemed to pick up at track 6 - Crazy Love - which is a standout to the others. I See is worth a mention. Sincere - Re-Cue'D has a decent groove but the vocal hook again got annoying. Disc 2 appears to be a number of remixes and I don't think they add anything of intrinsic value to the album. Probably a good album to put in the background while doing other stuff.

It was interesting. Not really my jam, but also not not my jam. Going middle of the road

As usual with this kind of thing I don't have anything particularly against it but find it wears out its welcome for me in well under the (usually excessive) album length.

Relaxte loungemuziek, heel repetitief maar prettig om naar te luisteren. Verder niet per se bijzonder.

NYC martini bar

elizabeth troy ruins this record

It's a likeable album with a whole lot of vibe. I knew the two big tracks, and being a bit of a garage girl I was glad to give the album a shot. It was an enjoyable listen. Not spectacular but top marks for atmosphere.

I got bored.

This was so good

Too long and doesn’t feel so innovative for the time. But sounds fun.

A decent dance album. Not something I would regularly listen to, it had some bright spots.

I've definitely never heard of this album or Mj Cole, so I love when this project is able to expose us to completely new music. This album was fun! Nothing spectacular to me, but very pleasing boops and beeps that had my heading nodding along with the 2000s dance rhythms. I found the sound to be very dated to that time period, with the female vocals reminding Ciara of Destiny's Child because of the vibrato and crooning. Probably not something I'd actively seek out to listen to again, but I found it harmless and entertaining for an hour and change.

This was a real mixed bag. Lme of the tracks I had to skip as they were too garagey for me or I didn't like the vocals,but others I quite enjoyed - I like some of the beats and bleeps. Apologies - my language for describing this genre is very limited!

Knowing this is one that's rated bottom I feel obliged to give it a 3 because this is not Throbbing Gristle! Very much of its time repetitive garage beats, that goes on too long, and I never did like garage, but for some reason I've always liked the song Sincere and Crazy Love was a nostalgic bonus.

To be honest, as far as my limited exposure to garage goes, this is pretty nice. Very jazzy in places, great vocals. It's like if So Solid Crew stumbled into a jazz bar at 1am with their Casio keyboard. Favourite tracks: Tired Games (very cool chopped guitar loop), Attitude, Slum King.

A good house/underground album that created the perfect mood for getting some work done. Super chill with some decent vocals throughout the album. Nothing too crazy but could be worth a lookin on a chill out playlist. Best: Tired Games Worst: MJ FM Interlude

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: I see

to be honest, pretty cool and interesting dance album

*Spotify only had Deluxe version. I resequenced and listened to in the original UK album order and length* Decent UK Garage. Didn't mind most of the songs, but the album got a little samey after awhile. Added a few songs to my playlists 3/5

Listening to this in the middle of a heavy traffic on a rainy day was quite an experience. Not great, but not bad either.

Pretty middle of the road, not good or bad, just pop

Some good stuff on here, but ultimately a little dull.

The YouTube music version is the deluxe version. Which means it's over two hours long. If the goal of the author(s) is to list the longest albums in the goals of ensuring the album is never completely listened to... then they have succeeded in making sure that I don't die.

Thankfully this wasn't J Cole like I first thought. Love me some good house music. This one is a bit funkier than most that I've listened to which is a cool different vibe.

A 2hr electronica album? Fuck... MJ Cole is a UK Garage/House/Electronica DJ from London. This whole album reminds me of those "alternative takes" of songs that make the deluxe edition of certain records. It's like hip hop/R&B artists contacted him to Remix their songs. Because of this, there isn't much flow to the album. The album cover looks like a pamphlet for a shitty brand of cologne. I've been known to hate electronica, but I must say, of the electronica I've reviewed thus far, this is one of the least shitty ones. I'm thinking I'm more receptive to this record because of the inclusion of lyrics (sung by a bunch of different artists). Like yesterday's album, this record suffers from the issue of overstaying its welcome. 2hrs is just too long. Overall, not a terrible album, but just way too long, and way too generic. Nothing really jumped off the page with this record. Easily forgettable. Favourite songs: Bandelero Desperado, MJ FM Interlude, Tired Games, Crazy Love, Slum King Least favourite songs: I See, Sincere - Re-Cue'd, Radio Interlude, Degrees 3/5

Not my thing

Nothing super special but had some fun. Wish it was less repetitive.

I listened to my own Frankenstein's Monster version of this album, as the album on my streaming service of choice was all mangled and missing songs, so if that affected my experience with the album in one way or another, I apologize. As for the album, this was perfectly alright, in fact, I liked it more than most electronica albums from the era, so I really REALLY don't understand how this has such a low average rating. Like, it's weird this is where people drew the line, and not with a multitude of other albums that are just as bad if not worse. I liked it overall, it reminded me of the music in Sonic R, and that can be a good thing in the right mood, I think.

Oh if we're doing turn-of-the-century UK garage/house stuff then there's so much more you could do than include MJ Cole, although he deserves some respect for breaking through to the degree this did. It's FAR too long and only really has Crazy Love to stand out, especially in a genre that was doing some really cool shit around the same time that didn't get the acclaim. It gets a low 3 just for the massive nostalgia but probably doesn't deserve it compared to some of those who should've been represented on the list.

It could be repetitive at times and there was plenty of bootsandcatsandbootsandcatsand…but i didn’t hate it? Some of it had a musicality that was surprising and pleasant and not just beep boop robot music.

Ik ga dit niet nog eens luisteren, maar ik vond het wel leuk. Verfrissend. Ik zou het persoonlijk nog beter vinden zonder de zangeressen.

Not my thing

This would be badass if it's all wordless. I think its fine. Lots of ripping on it for being too explicit but I didn't especially mind it.

Typical 90s electronic music. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't unique

Some interesting songs that I grew to like because I attempted listening to this whole album at least 5 times and never got through it

Some bops, some flops

A tantalizing collection of turn of the century UK garage music, MJ Cole delivers the goods with his Sincere album. Featuring the standard female vocalists and the male deejays hovering around and a surprising guest in one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time (?), Sincere does just about the many bountiful things that could be expected in popular dance music in the early 2000s. It may not be for everyone but it is still a plentiful experience. Favorites: Tired Games, Attitude, Bandelero Desperado, Crazy Love, You're Mine, I See, Sincere (Re-Cue'D), Rough Out Here, Slum King, Free My Mind.

Definitely influential, the beats and creativity are apparent, but not worth repeating.

Suprised to find I like this. Seriously not my normal thing but it's so smooth and infectious. Garage/dance/ambient? Not sure but well produced and hypnotic. This chart does throw up some suprises.

dance!

Started off absolutely hating this but it grew on me. I never got into UK Garage, finding it too soft for my likes but this does have some nice grooves to it and is definitely enhanced by Elisabeth Troy's singing on some of the tracks.

Average! Liked a couple of tracks.

6/10. xkcd.com/411

Good garage album, enjoyable but would not necessarily go out of my way to listen again

The bitch killed the vibe. Lovely voice but it just doesn't fit the music. Easy to listen to despite the length. "Bandelero Desperado" is by far the best.

pretty decent garage album, some of these songs would be sick samples for breakcore tracks gonna relisten to this again but some of these songs are genuinely so smooth i am in love hold on to me re-dub and radio interlude are real nice 3.5/5

Fine, but not my favorite genre.

Some nice funky chill and some tracks to skip

Best Song: Sincere. I like the slow jam atmorphere here. Worst Song: You're Mine. The presence of the female vocals throughout the album led me to believe that she was here to stay. Removing her just made this track feel like it was missing something. Overall: Music that is unexciting, but might also not be designed to excite. Relatively simple, straightforward, vocal-dominant electronic. At times it feels as though it's trying really hard to be soulful, and not always landing.

Interesting. Nothing that compels me to listen again though

Chill but same-y

Solid soul sound

Another beats album for over an hour…completely unnecessary

Not bad, but just not my preferred of style of garage/Drum & Base.

boardy vibes

This was actually a bit better than I was expecting. Not amazing, but better than a lot of the other electronica albums I have listened to. The songs actually manage to be interesting and aren't way too long. My favourite songs were Rough Out Here, Hold On To Me, and Free My Mind.

Un bon album de salon de coiffure house. Celui-ci commence par une attente assez courte sur le canapé proche de la porte. On est ensuite pris en charge par Jessica qui vient nous enfiler une blouse puis nous shampouine avec beaucoup de délicatesse. On s'installe ensuite devant le miroir et explique à celle-ci comment on va les couper avec l'aide d'une photo de Robbie Williams. Jessica se met alors au travail et nous pose des questions de plus en plus intrusives : "Ca va ? Ca fait combien de temps que tu les as pas coupés ? Tu mets de la cire dans tes cheveux ou pas ? Hein ? Alors ? Tu réponds oui ou merde ?!" Elle nous montrera ensuite l'arrière de notre tête puis nous fera enfin payer. C'était pas trop tôt.

Some fun edm, it definitely has its moments although an hour of it is a bit much

Some decent tracks. I've never been a big fan of UK garage/UK-style house, and even if this is a landmark record of the genre, it still doesn't really resonate with me.

Fun, appealing dance music. I’m not sure I’d be able to pick MJ Cole’s style out of a lineup of other DJs / producers but this is solid music for dancing or working out. The back half gets a little more eclectic. There’s some moody, atmospheric numbers and the disco-soul of “Rough Out Here” was a pleasant surprise.

Very cool drum n bass rnb record. I enjoyed it. Production was fresh (for a 22 year old album), performances were cool. Hard to try to break it down and understand what was done "in the box" and what wasn't but maybe that's more fun to not know what was sampled and what wasn't. I think drum n bass deserves some spots on this list but I question whether this is one of the best ever. 3/5 for me!

Fun to listen to

срез нулевых

way tooo long as an album with repeated songs. sounded like something from the late 90s and I was almost right

Not really my thing - but not bad

Not really my jam

This genre is right up my street usually. Unfortunately a bit distracted to take it in fully. Some good tracks but still only worthy of 3*

An easy background listen

First 4 tracks I was "WTF?" but it really kicked in after that. Brave move putting out a 2 hour album, but it worked.

Genre: 2-Step 3/5 Well, go figure, another white DJ trying his best to insert himself into the culture a la David Holmes. This time, though, it's done with a bit more class, and a lot better production and songwriting. 2-Step, somewhat of a continuation of the UK garage and house music fads that swept the 90s, is part-techno, part-hip hop/neo soul. Plenty of talented vocalists, all lesser known in the broad world of music, lay down some decent performances over what are essentially more ambient, more thought-out breakbeat tracks. The title track, Sincere, was a moody, sensual track with some neat vocal sampling and good arrangements and production. Attitude was another interesting song early in the setlist that piqued my interest, but lasted a little longer than necessary. A lot of the tracks on here, enough to run for a 67-minute span, are somewhat stale representations of a genre that sounds like it has ample room for experimentation. Others are just blatant trip-hop ripoffs that sound stolen from old Massive Attack projects. A bit stale as a whole, but not bad, fairly inoffensive, and easy to listen to.

Some really good tracks, some howlers.

Important: seek out the album proper and ignore the additional mixes tacked on the end of the collection after about track 16 (free my mind). Inoffensive and very well produced UK Garage. Quite mellow. Excellent singing by Elisabeth Troy. I am surprised to say i like this. Sincere (the song) is well known and a club classic. Definitely a 3, but although early UK Garage and influential, probably not a 4. Enjoyable enough.

Nope

Middle of the road UK garage? I didn't mind this so much and particularly enjoyed Sincere and Crazy Love. Slum King as well. This is firmly a 3.5 for me.

Eh, I didn't like UK garage at the time, and this hasn't converted me. At least it didn't actively piss me off, which some of the genre definitely did back in the day. Fave track - "Rough Out Here", but maybe that's cheating as it's a straight ahead soul track, not very garagey. "Slum King" sound amusingly like it could come from "People Just Do Nothing" 😆

Lekkere beat. Vooral mooi die combinatie met de piano, wat dan weer dat klassieke randje aan het geheel geeft. Ik houdt er wel van. Lekkere zang ook. ***

3/5 okeyish, but ultimately no.