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.

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 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

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.

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.

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.

Pretty chill reggae, but including this while having 0 Toots & The Maytals albums should be illegal.

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.

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.

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.

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

Amazing album!

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

Loved it

I'll admit some of these some of these songs aren't good and some are objectively bad. But a few of these reggae baselines are so filthy (played by Quayle himself) that I may or may not have become pregnant listening to this. I was familiar with "Even After All" and "Your Love Gets Sweeter" as they were staples on mixtapes for hippy girls when I was in high school. Undoubtedly they acted as an aphrodisiac for the right teenage girl. However in my case it just made them realize they wanted a cool, Rasta musician type, and not some nerdy weirdo. Oops Well I was still on the fence about this one until I heard "Supreme I Preme" 90s hip hop anthem wet dream. Now I plan to name the child after his father Finlay Quayle Jr., which again I have mixed feelings about because most of this album isn't very good.

Super mellow and smooth, especially for a Sunday afternoon. Very chill with hypnotic (but not numbing) vocals.

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

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.

Really enjoyed

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.

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

Okey.

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.

Really enjoyed it

Amazing work

Nothing to dislike here.

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

One of mi nineties preferred

Smooooooth AF

Loved listening to this again.

This one is nostalgic for me

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

Dope

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

Damn good reggae tunes

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

Super quality reggae, much needed

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.

I was not familiar with this guy and really liked this, particularly on a sunny Sunday.

Surprisingly tolerable

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…

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.

This shit sucks

Really awesome and fun album. Shocking that it was his first. Really ran a range of vibes, and a lot of it felt incredibly fresh. Thought this was going to be a dub/reggae album (and was happy about it) but it is much more. It’s a whole experience. Supreme I Preme was a standout. Some very cool sounds in there.

When it said Scottish artist schooled in London I thought I was in for another generic Brit rock album but this was so cool, not at all what I was expecting. The reggae mixed with the electronics was totally unique and it’s clear why this has become so popular for a debit album.

This is one of the fun new discoveries for me. Good vibe, didn't love his voice but it works overall.

incredible vibes

Some of y’all weren’t teenagers in the UK in the late 90s and it shows. I feel like if this album had opened with the undeniable Sunday Shining we’d have a more favourable score on here. That’s the basic story of this album, everyone love Sunday Shining and the quite likes Even After All and Your Love Gets Sweeter Everyday and then we kind of tolerated the rest of the album. Back in ‘97 we didn’t have Wikipedia to dig into the background of this guy, we just took it on face value that he was black or mixed race or something and was making sweet reggae music. It didn’t matter then that he was actually from Muirhouse but apparently it does now?

I loved this album when i was 17 as a nice white middle class boy, and i was very surprised to find it on this list as i had always just thought of it as fairly disposable. On revisiting this it doesnt let itself down. Its sunshine in musical form. Well composed and fun pop/reggae. Sure its not authentic, but i loved it then and i enjoyed it now

great album.

I enjoyed this. Groovy reggae from Scotland.

Moderne Raggae, dat soms aardig richting breakbeat muziek gaat. Daardoor ontstaat soms bijna een Fatboy Slim achtig geluid. Bijvoorbeeld bij Ride On and Turn the People On. Er zijn tegenwoordig veel crossovers in deze soort. Maar dit lijkt een soort voorloper. Leuk!

Electronic reggae music which also has elements of jazz and hip hop on some tracks. Pretty cool.

i know i’ve been giving a lot of 4s lately but this one is gas

Lots of fun listening to this and it definitely starts out hot with the first 3 songs being my favorites in descending order.

I really like this album and listen to it regularly.

A lot of nice Songs - Great musician

This was a really cool surprise! Reggae with kind of a sublime deal I’ll have to check when this came out to see who influence too. Some songs were cleaner than sublime, but it reminded me quite a bit of a little more reggae version of sublime. 4.25/5.

I guess this is okay late 90s reggae. Sure, why not.

I remember the name and nothing else, so this’ll be fun. Ok funky reggae. This is cute. Easygoing, mostly mellow. Nice rhythm for background music. Gets much better in the second half. Can’t complain. The man wrote his own Spotify bio. That’s too pure. Sweet and Loving Man, indeed. 4/5

Great production on Quaye's Caribbean-tinted pop songs. I really enjoyed the first half or so but the songs do get weaker toward the end of the album.

Interesting and funky.

This was a really pleasant listen today. I listened to the majority of it in a coffee shop sipping on a latte while practicing some Java skills on my laptop. I’m just that basic. Anyway, this was a really nice listen. The majority was reggae, but it also occasionally leaned into straightforward pop, giving an interesting extra dynamic to the album. The vocals were done well, and the music was catchy pretty much from front to back. It didn’t blow my face off, but it did give a nice soundtrack to my afternoon.

4/5. Really well-written Reggae songs that mixes some R&B and rock instruments like an electric guitar and synths and pianos among other sounds. Quaye is at the forefront of each song of course, and what a chill and relaxing voice, even if the song is heavier. Reggae is harder to get into for me, and I do have to be in the mood for it, but this was good and much better than I was expecting. First half of the album the highlight for sure. Best Song: Even After All, Ultra Simulation, It's Great When We're Together

This was a pleasant surprise, an album with a really cool and chilled out vibe. Also a lovely mesh of styles which show a songwriter influenced by jazz, trip hop, soul, reggae and all sorts. Not 5 stars because it gets a bit slow near the end, my attention waned at the instrumental track Red Rolled and Seen. Overall enjoyed though, and a note to self to come back to this when I'm lying on the beach in a few weeks

Some really, really great tunes - would say that it feels a bit scatter-gun-y but that could also be seen as a plus... seems like a real shame that he fell off but "Even After All" is beautiful, "It's Great When We're Together" has that Portishead-y strings accompaniment and dubness. Generally reminding me of Massive Attack with different vocals. "Sunday Shining" has proper swagger. "Your love gets sweeter" is also beautiful. Was originally going to give a 3.4 but I'm going to knock it up to a 3.65.

Groovy

It’s Great When We’re Together Sunday Shining Your Love Gets Sweeter Sweet and Loving Man Maverick a Strike I don’t know if I’ve reviewed a reggae album yet and it kind of caught me off guard in a good way. The vibes behind it are very sunny day relaxing soothing. What a great voice

I have heard of Finley Quaye before, but I don't recall his music. However, I really like this album. It was very refreshing. His voice is smooth, the music and production is great, and the songs are very nice for a summer day. I'm going to listen through the few albums he put out after this one, as well.

Wasn't familiar. Would listen again.

Not usually a fan of this genre but three of the tracks are brilliant so low 4*

Had never heard this. It was a groove!

Very fun

I really love the singing, and the effects being used on the guitar and vocals throughout. The high energy bops and more chilled tracks coexist wonderfully, and neither feels like it drags the album down. I appreciate the presence of the horns. Overall wonderful groove.

Upbeat and a great blend of genres.

Surprisingly interesting

I went into this album thinking it was going to be corny, but I was surprised that I came out of it really liking it. I feel like this reggae album bridges into trip-hop which makes the best songs feel a lot better and more interesting than I find traditional reggae. There are a couple of duds towards the end of the album, but overall it was quite good. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. (Which could be abbreviated to 1, 3, 4, and 7).

This is not the Eels, but it is novocaine for the soul. Sunday Shining is a bright song that felt like a ray of sunshine on a particularly rainy day when I listened to it. Reggae, Soul, Jazz, and Funk are mixed to make... what? A Dance Pop album? I'm not sure, but this is probably sold close to where you find the Jamiroquai albums.

Really good! Hoping to revisit it soon.

Liked some of the dub tracks - very chill

Cool dub/reggae sound with interesting vocals

After a week of duds, I’m glad to start off the week with this Gem 💎

Album seemed really good I just wasn’t in the mood for it on this day.

I listened (and really like it) before I read his bio. I stand by my rating.

elektro reaggea hip hop

I thought this was very enjoyable! Turns out Luke was a fan of this album as a child, which tickles me as I didn't think at all this would be his thing. It was cool east listening.

This was really cool, loved it. I recognised the guys voice straight away then realised why when I heard 'Even after all'. It was on a compilation album put together by Jack Johnson that I used to listen to a lot. He's got a really cool voice.

Decent, and fairly engaging, and a bit fun – basically what you want from a well-made pop record. Personally, one finds his voice a tad annoying, but he uses it to most strong effect throughout. The album's incessant style jumping could also be off-putting, but given that it's all pretty enjoyable so feels silly to complain. It's encouraging when commercially successful and mass popularity offer at least this much sophistication and distinctiveness. "Even After All" and "Sweet and Loving Man" are easily the best cuts. One has the sense that one has heard much of this before, but can't quite place ... which may say something about its durability (or one's mental faculties) and which makes a 4 somewhat charitable, but it's less dated than other entries of this time and enjoyability does solve a lot of other problems, with pop music, as it should that pleasure is its basic job.

Interesting mix - reggae, R & B. Never heard of Finley before (by name), but certainly know him from his work with the Commodores!

Best find on the list so far!

I really enjoyed this album. Definitely a good listen!

A lot of these songs just weren’t jamming. There was one song I liked “Sweet and Loving Man” otherwise the beats didn’t make me enthusiastic. Bob Marley is just better. Still good though. Just would not my top choice for reggae. 7/10

I love going into these albums blind. I had no idea what to expect. The first track sounds like electro Bob Marley. I love the bass lines on this album. The sounds range from Beatles strings to the grit of bands like the stooges and MC5. Red Rolled and Seen gives me a Tom Waits “earth died screaming” vibe. The groove on this track is incredible

Chill, kinda bob Marley feel-good vibes. I'd listen again

Really enjoyed this album, will probably listen to more of this artist.

Reggae. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

I love this album. Always have. I had it on cassette years ago and used to listen in the car. I still regularly hit it up when I need something summery and light. It aged beautifully and I’m so glad to have a reason to listen again

nice slice of Reggae - shouldn't read other reviews but why are so many on this site obsessed with things outside the actual music? Must be a generational thing where they're used to cancelling anyone slightly different and instead worship blandness with Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. Anyway this is nice and chilled with easy beats. 4