Maverick A Strike

Bro who even is this guy. I google his name and the first result is "Finley Quaye found guilty for headbutting terminally ill friend over Game of Thrones" and the image is some black-and-white Gilbert Gottfried lookalike (rest in peace by the way) and Peter Dinklage. Then the literal next result is "Finley Quaye admits criminal damage after he threw metal road sign through glass bus door". The third result is "Finley Quaye threatened to stab cop and 'get a grenade' for bar manager he vowed to shoot". This guy is just smashing everything in his path, pulverizing innocent citizens with his laser beam eyes, and I'm supposed to listen to his album? I listened to his album and it was pretty alright. Not a huge fan of reggae or obliterating people with metal rods, but I enjoyed "Sunday Shining". Hope he doesn't throw a comically large piano down a flight of stairs at me for giving his album a 2/5.

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

I 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.

That’s it, I’m calling for a constitutional convention among the users of this site. For too long, we have been subjected to the whim and whimsy of one “Robert Dimery” and the time has come for us to agree upon some self-evident truths. It is high time that we free ourselves from the tyranny of mediocrity. Are we not civilized beings, should we not be allowed to once again hold our heads high, unburdened by the choices made by one man several decades ago? As such, I have drafted the first article of our bill of rights, a reference point to be used by any user in good standing with the site: We, the people of the 1001 albums generator community, do hereby establish the following: Article I Section I. When, in the course of daily listening, a user encounters an album or artist that no reasonable person has talked about in 25 years, the user may apply “The Rule” when providing a poor rating of the album. Section II. “The Rule” states the following- If you haven’t heard anyone of sound body and mind talk about the suggested album or artist in 20 years or more, the album can be deemed inessential on such grounds. Section III. No user shall be admonished for applying “The Rule” to an album, so long as the criteria laid out in Section I appears to have been met.

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.

Definitely don’t need to listen to Scottish Reggae.

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.

Fantastic album👌🏽 The track Even After All was especially good.

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.

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.

Surprisingly tolerable

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.

A Scot impersonating a Jamaican accent to do reggae is the equivalent of a trust fund Pennsylvanian putting on a southern drawl to do country.

So I was pleasantly surprised by “”Maverick A Strike” by Finley Quaye… As a reggae aficionado, I liked the vibe of the album – as while it is not true reggae, I’d call it reggae-tinged for sure… There was good diversity throughout the album which is always appreciated, and there really isn’t a bad track on it either – just some songs are better than others… Also a nice dose of originality on top gets a tip o’ the cap… Best songs IMO were – “Sunday Shining” – 4-stars out of 7… “Even After All” – 4-stars out of 7… “The Way Of The Explosive” – 4-stars out of 7… “Red Rolled & Seen” – Nice groove instrumental and 4-stars out of 7… “Maverick A Strike” – Has a vibe of Marley’s “Exodus”, just not nearly as good – also 4-stars out of 7…

Loved it

Definitely in the top ten of my favourite albums of the 90s. An absolute Eton Mess of styles and sounds all mashed together deliciously.

Amazing album!

Dope

Zonnige zomervibes en feel good reggae muziek. Met veel plezier naar geluisterd

This one is nostalgic for me

Loved listening to this again.

Smooooooth AF

One of mi nineties preferred

10/10 what genre is this?? post-reggae?! it sounds awesome!!

Is this really from 26 years ago? Back in the 1990s I took an ill-advised job as a door-to-door lead generator for a double glazing company. Five of us would climb into a decade-old Ford Granada and get ourselves to some part of town where we'd knock on people's doors and ask them if they'd like double glazing. Surprisingly few people did. A couple of things stick very clearly in my mind from that awful fortnight. The first is the the driver of the Ford Granada had spent more money on the car's stereo than he had on the actual car. The second is that he didn't have a driving licence. Or insurance. Pretty sure he didn't tax it, either. Any rate, the stereo was pretty good; CD players in cars, especially cars as old as a Granada, were incredibly rare. Most that could play CDs were serviced by a cassette adaptor plugged into a Sony Discman stuck to the dashboard, and this was exactly the situation here. Each day one of the five would bring in a CD to listen to as we were driven from area to area to flog double glazing. Even after all this time (see what I did there?) I remember that one of the people enjoying the back seat of that enormous Ford was a girl called Hannah, who brought this CD with her one day. And it was by far and away the best album anyone brought along for the whole ten days I dragged my teenage arse to that terrible job. Looking back, I have absolutely no concern about what the rat-like Granada driver did with his life, if anything. I couldn't care less what the other two scrotey teenage boys have become. But I do wonder if Hannah ever amounted to anything, with her impeccably awesome music taste. This album is the easiest five stars of the week, and I wish I'd spent more time with it over the past twenty years, with its lovely wobbly bass, catchy tunes and questionable appropriation. No, it isn't authentic. It doesn't have to be. Listen to it, relax to it and enjoy the vibes.

Nothing to dislike here.

Amazing work

Really enjoyed it

Oh man. This is what most excited me about going on this journey: stumbling across something/someone I am entirely unfamiliar with that I absolutely love! A few songs on this album are new favorites and I will be checking out more. More smooth butter on the heels of Norah Jones at #72.

Okey.

What a surprise! Right in your eyes! Funky 90s reggae who would have guessed it?!? Not for everyone certainly but certainly for me

Probably the greatest Scottish reggae album of all time (admittedly not a long list of contenders) and one I come back to every year when the sun comes out.

Really enjoyed

Super quality reggae, much needed

quite nice and musically not just the simple cliche reggae everyone knows

Damn good reggae tunes

Like it. No stand out songs, but overall good-mood music. Probably liked Sunday Shining best.

A good Reggae album

Jammy, psychedelic reggae. I liked it.

false

🌴

This one is going on the playlist

Solid reggae grooves

Reggae muy fino, estoy seguro que le encantaría a mi Johnny Greenwood.

Grooooovy (reggaeish)

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!

Fantastic find

I didnt know what to make of this album - but loved it, some really great tracks on it. A great discovery this one.

Pretty catchy smooth jazzy.

Great album. Really enjoyed listening to this one again.

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.

Meh, some bangers bood as a whole not that good

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.

Wow! Did not expect this. Fantastic listen

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.

I dig this, smooth, mellow

Great album, r&b, reggae influences

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.

NICE TUNES

Would revisit

Great vibe.

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

Très bien!

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.

A beautiful one

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.

Reggae. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Really enjoyed this. And nice to see a reggae album make a list from an artist I’d never heard of

Finley Quaye's best song (“Dice”) isn’t on this album, but this album is just as perfectly mellow. Wonderful listening experience.

Fun album that’s fairly varied on top of it’s reggae sound

Good lord, there's a blast from the past. I think I must've had this on cassette, I know all the songs so I must've done, and it still sounds really good to this day. Highly enjoyable, infantile lyrics (and Jamaican accent) but really great beats, rhythm and sounds (hence the mobo award). Added back to collection without hesitation. Great to bring myself up to speed with his shenanigans, only to find out he headbutted his (terminally ill) mate because he wouldn't turn game of thrones off, for which he was fined and given 225 hours unpaid work, was declared bankrupt with over £383k debts and was kicked off stage by an organiser because he was intoxicated. Jolly album though, can barely tell he was born in Edinburgh.

neat reggae album

Really quite good. Surprised.

Quite relaxing raegge, really liked the bass work in there.

Cool, refreshing, vibe of reggae meets psychedelia with velvety smoothe vocals topping off the whole concoction. A keeper from the start.

A surprisingly good album. I never heard it at the time and was surprised by the depth and variety. Even After All and Sunday Shining are the standouts, but there are so many great little moments - the use of the Amen break in Ride on, the sweet little rock n roll rhythm in Your Love Gets Sweeter, the trip-hop atmosphere on Supreme... The lyrics are quite stream-of-consciousness - sometimes this works really well, sometimes it's a little repetitive, but as an album to put on for a laid back Sunday evening, you couldn't do better. So close to being 5 star, but the lyrics (and a couple of filler tracks in I Need A Lover and Red Rolled and Seen) drop it to a 4. Well worth a listen though.

Tails off toward the end but the singles are all high quality. Generous 4.

Excellent 90s shag and spliff vibes, groovy