Maverick A Strike
Finley Quaye
1997
Album Summary
Maverick a Strike is the debut studio album by Scottish musician Finley Quaye. It was released on 6 August 1997 through 550 Music and Epic Records. The album spawned five singles: "Sunday Shining", "Even After All", "It's Great When We're Together", "Your Love Gets Sweeter", and "Ultra Stimulation", all of which charted on the UK Singles Chart. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. The album has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
WikipediaI have some issues with Maverick A Strike. Finley Quaye's take on dub and reggae is so light it almost floats away; he makes someone like Alpha Blondy look like an exemplar of hardcore roots reggae, which takes some doing. While I was listening to this album, my immediate thought was, \"This is some Brit pretending to be a Jamaican,\" and it turns out that I was almost right. Finley Quaye is actually a born and bred Scot. He can't even claim to be a 2nd generation Jamaican because his dad was born in London and has Ghanaian roots. Now, this is not the same as what bands like The Specials were doing, because it was clear they were playing Brit fanboy versions of their favorite music. Rather, Finley Quaye is trying to pass himself off as a Jamaican singer. This is a little like someone putting on a Southern drawl to sing country when they were raised in Newark, NJ or Michael McDonald trying to sing soul. To be clear, I'm not offended or anything. Hey, if Finley Quaye can pull it off, more power to him. And he almost can, but his singing is by far the weakest element in Maverick A Strike. I suspect you could throw a rock in Jamaica and hit someone with more dub and reggae skills.Which brings me to the music itself. While, compositionally speaking, these songs are as simple as nursery rhymes, they sound amazing. I fully expected to find some star producer calling the shots in the background, but surprisingly, given his weakness as a singer, all of this is due to Finley Quaye himself! He arranged all of the tunes and wrote the originals. And the band consists of his buddies instead of studio musicians. His half-brother was a guitarist with Elton John, so that gives some indication of the pool of talent he had available. And you've got to give credit to Quaye for how tastefully and naturally he has managed to incorporate rock, soul, pop, and triphop touches into the dub and reggae. I've never heard this particular combination of genres--it's wholly original, and pretty darned cool. And the sound! There isn't one horrible sounding synth patch anywhere! The horns and strings are tastefully arranged, never overwhelming the slight songs.If Quaye had been as gifted a composer and singer as he is a producer and arranger, Maverick A Strike would have been a masterpiece, but I'm sorry to report that, as it is, Maverick A Strike is just listenable.
Feel like I should be sat drinking lattes and reading the guardian in a penthouse flat in Chorlton on a Sunday morning in the 90's.
This album struck a wrong chord with me, a Scottish musician with Ghanaian roots playing pseudo reggae with a fake Jamaican accent. I was born in Jamaica so I just found it to be so wrong from the get go. This was a big miss for me
This is the first 1 I've encountered where I was completely unfamiliar with the subject matter. The vocals feels completely divorced from the music and both are absolutely inane. This is directionless and passionless and reflective of bad 90s reggae in general. I have no idea how this made the list.
Quite enjoyed it, a groover for sure, lots of tracks that get better as you listen to them start to hypnotize the ears. Standout Tracks: It's Great When We're Together, Ride On and Turn the People On, The Way of the Explosive, Supreme I Preme, I Need a Lover
Super mellow and smooth, especially for a Sunday afternoon. Very chill with hypnotic (but not numbing) vocals.
Though it came out in `97, I always associate this album with the middle of 1998. At the time, this album along with Eagle Eye Cherry's Desireless and Ian Brown's Unfinished Monkey Business were my Sunday afternoon chill out albums. Shaking off the hangover from the night before they hit the rest button before I went off and did it all again. I remember getting paid out for liking these albums but they were important to me at the time. Listening with fresh ears after not having played Maverick a Strike for over a decade, the parts I loved are still as good as I remember. Flawed in places, it still deserves the acolasdes it got in Britain and I wish it took off more in Australia.
I was not familiar with this guy and really liked this, particularly on a sunny Sunday.
Un mélange de soul et de reggae sur fond d'ustensiles de cuisine ; Finley Quaye a réussi son pari. Tout y passe : les casseroles, les poêles, la râpe à fromage... on peut même entendre un épluche-légume marquer le rythme sur plusieurs morceaux. Un véritable tour de force.
Ah, more like it, some traditional Scottish music. It's the sound of late 90s sophistication again. Nice enough lite reggae with a sprinkling of trip hop. Inoffensive.
It's very pleasant. Sunny. Lyrics not always sunny. Like the production in headphones. Red Rolled and Seen is good. Sone interesting stuff going on here.
I don't know what's more interesting - the cultural history of the Ga-Dangbe ethnic group of Ghana, from which Quaye's father is from; or the fact that Quaye once headbutted a terminally ill friend in an argument over Game of Thrones. I'll tell you what is not most interesting. This album. I mean, I think he probably thought he was making interesting music, but I didn't find it interesting.
Pretty chill reggae, but including this while having 0 Toots & The Maytals albums should be illegal.
Definitely in the top ten of my favourite albums of the 90s. An absolute Eton Mess of styles and sounds all mashed together deliciously.
Zonnige zomervibes en feel good reggae muziek. Met veel plezier naar geluisterd
quite nice and musically not just the simple cliche reggae everyone knows
Like it. No stand out songs, but overall good-mood music. Probably liked Sunday Shining best.
Reggae muy fino, estoy seguro que le encantaría a mi Johnny Greenwood.
Would be 3 now, 5 when it came out. Not dated that well as I find the voice a bit irritating
I enjoyed this way more than I expected I would. Great beats and fun vibes all around.
Liked it! A little groovy, liked his voice. Sunday Shining was my favorite song.
Fun album with innovative production, and a great vocalist. Didn't blow me away but still a great album!
I didnt know what to make of this album - but loved it, some really great tracks on it. A great discovery this one.
Finley has a beautiful voice and knows how to write catchy tunes. I had "The Sun is Shining' on high rotation back in the day and there are a bunch of other great songs here, though the CD is a bit front-end loaded. He dips in and out of reggae the way k-os dips in and out of rap.
I've never heard of this dude at all, but this music is great. Right up my alley. Some cool funk/reggae vibes.
I don't know much 'modern' reggae and don't often listen to it, but this is good stuff. I can see myself listening again in the right mood.
This might be the most recent reggae album I've ever listened to. Really deep grooves here.
Nearly gave this 5 stars for sentimental reasons, spent many a hazy afternoon listening to this in the 90's. Really enjoyed playing it again.
Loved it. I knew Quaye from Massive Attack and Tricky, but this was the first time I have listened to this album. Sunday Shining must have been on a soundtrack or mix tape or something. Def a good bop. Very listenable album, but some of the tracks were just a little too empty of sonic or emotional value to make this a true five. A *lot* of highlights, though.
gosh i love when i am caught off guard for an album! this album was so mellow to listen to. perfect for a workday. some real gems could be found--"sunday shining" is such a beautiful song, full of hope. "i need a lover" reminds me deeply of prince. i love this combination of blues, reggae, soul, jazz in this album. such creativity! i am looking forward to listening to this again.
I'd never heard of Finlay Quaye before and did not know what to expect. I found it an absolute delight, a terrific mix of reggae and pop unlike anything else I've heard. Really enjoyed it.
I wasn't expecting much from this but really enjoyed it. It sounds very Bristol influenced. A bit dubby, a bit trip-hoppy. Thumbs up. Smiley face. Sun is shining emoji.
This is a really nice discovery. Fantastic mix of reggae and trip hop that sounds amazing. Beautiful production and I love his voice; sort of a mix between Winston Rodney's gravely intensity and Gregory Isaac's silky smoothness. 4.5 🌟
A dub and reggae album with flourishes of the then-contemporary sounds; this is a rather ambitious and auspicious debut album from 1997, a year chock full of ambitious albums that looked toward the future rather than mine from the past. Maverick A Strike seems to have gone under the radar, which is a shame seeing as though it is looking to be re-discovered and re-evaluated as it should. A hidden gem, for sure. Favorites: Ultra Stimulation, It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, The Way of the Explosive, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Sweet and Loving Man.
Let's be honest, it's soft rock/Reggae from a Scotsman trying to sing with a Jamaican accent. The singing could also be better. That being said, there are some great chill songs here, the composition and musicianship is great.
Hearing this for the first time, I'm surprised this guy is not more of a household name. He's like a modern sounding Bob Marley, but even more accessible to a mass audience. I found these songs to be great listens, really grooving.
Tracks 1-5 are all undeniable bangers. This is way better than I remember (I think I borrowed it off a mate, taped Sunday Shining and Love Gets Sweeter and bunned off the rest of the album as boring). The second half of the album may have justified my young opinion, but this album was SO strong out of the gates it's still great.
I wasn't in the mood for this style of music at all today but it was still a good listen.
Kind of a grower. Apart from happy-go-lucky songs there‘s a certain depth to the whole project which cannot only be explained by the use of dubby reverb. Sincere 3.6
Loved this album back then Great to go back to the dub grooves … top musicians on it … Great bass, guitar and drums even after all … A strong 4
This is a great album, 4.5 stars. Reggae influences without being full-on reggae/repetitive. Balances blending lots of different instruments with still feeling simple. Vocals set a tone that feels 'relatable' and guitar is given freedom to shine at times. Pace changes throughout but is never too fast or too slow. Standout is "Sunday Shining"
I'd forgotten just how good this album is! But the second half does let it down a bit.
Nostalgia filled me to the brim and then I spilled over with joyous bubbles of musical pleasure. Maybe if you didn't listen to this weekly in your teens, your feel differently.
Really enjoyed this. And nice to see a reggae album make a list from an artist I’d never heard of
Knew nothing going in, and its pretty atmospheric and interesting. Closer to a 3.5
I enjoyed the album, and having only known a bit about Finley Quaye it was great to hear his sound in what seems to be the highlight of his career. Some of the songs I had recognized prior and enjoyed, but overall I think it was a good mix. There were a couple of songs I wasn't as invested in hence the 3*.
muy buen Soft con una producción muy nítida y canciones bastante digeribles aunque al final va cayendo lentamente Esto es lo que pueden hacer unos hermanos que si se quieren y no tienen problemas de ego Sorpresa ver que son los de Don't dream it's over
Es un escocés cantando Reggae. ¿No es suficiente para explicar por qué este disco es importante? Creo que el disco sería mejor si se quitaran unas 3 o 4 canciones. Tiene algunas muy interesantes, como “Ultra Stimulation”, pero siento que se pierden entre varias que son tediosonas.
Initially it is ok I am not crazy about it so far. Very chill vibes though. The more I listen the more I like it. I was not expecting reggae
ehhhhh...i mean...i dunno, i like the bass. not my style, but it's, you know, fine.
I have no idea why this album totally escaped my radar back in the day, but it's an enjoyable one, totally capturing the essence of those late 90's years. Would listen to it again.
First "reggae" album here and, although I don't knew the artist, it's easy to note the innovations brought by the artist in the '90s that are used until today.
Totally fine and listenable but not sure why it’s on this list. More of 7 out of 10 but bumping it down just to being a bit bland
it was pretty good, but i am not the biggest fan of this style of reggae. I liked Your Love Gets Sweeter and Sunday Shining the best.
Hmm nja nä inte riktigt min grej, gick att lyssna på, rätt chill men ikke bra va... hmmm 3 tror jag
Front four tracks impeccable for me and the rest is really nice although some barely registers - still on rotation today. It’s great when we’re together is suchhhh a tune. Heart says four but got to go with the very very strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it deserves
I wanted to give it a 4 as there are some absolute belters on this, but the weaker tracks are pretty awful. There was no need for this album to have 13 songs on it. Bloated with filler.