Maverick A Strike

This was an interesting fusion of reggae with more modern pop and soul. I know little about this genre beyond the heavy weights like Bob Marley or Toots & The Maytals. Not every song hit home for me, but it was a good listen.

Many of the bad reviews here are based on the fact that Finley Quaye is a Scot who adopts a Jamaican-ish accent on a dub/reggae album. Well ... Quaye is part Ghanian and I think that is where the accent is situated, even if here and there he tops it up with some extra. We had a Ghanian cleaning lady and her accent was very alike. But even so, why can't a non-jamaican make a reggae album? The sheer idiocy of the idea is staggering. Maverick A Strike is a more than decent album. It has an uplifting vive to it and it just made me feel good. And as a bass player, there is much to like as well. I may even get a copy if I come across one. 3,5.

I don't hate I, it's quite mellow and smooth but around halfway through I was just a bit bored with it, even though I really liked it at the start. Meh.

While Maverick A Strike by Finley Quaye is tagged as Pop on Apple Music, it leans far more heavily into reggae than that label suggests. Even so, it’s not strictly reggae in the traditional sense. The album feels more like a reggae-fusion project, blending in other stylistic elements that broaden the overall sound and keep it from settling into just one lane. It’s not the kind of record I’d normally go out of my way to put on, but I have to admit this one caught me off guard in a good way. Every now and then—only occasionally—the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die project actually turns up a worthwhile discovery instead of adding another forgettable UK release to the ever-growing pile. This just happens to be one of those rare pleasant surprises.

I had no knowledge of this artist or what to expect and I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but was a decent listen.

easy listening

Good bit of reggae adjacent music

3.25 - I've never heard of this person before. I loved some of the tracks, but I was so-so on the ones with the heavier reggae sound.

Did not mind this one

One quote from another individual really stood out for me about this album. "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"." Otherwise, this is not a good reggae album... But is a 2.5 stars album based on being something else.

Lowkey laidback.

I knew the singles well as they were big at the time so they helped with this listen. It was mostly fine, the compositions seem simple but effective although not always convinced by his vocals, which apparently are somewhat put on considering he is Scottish born and of Ghanaian heritage. Anyway, it’s fine but nothing special.

honestly I couldn't take the lyrics, I'm no angel, but too much for me. Music was okay.

Инструментал хороший Но регги запевания не зашли Вот все что не регги в этом альбоме хорошо 2.9

50/50

3/5 mid

Very cool, sort of reggae music. The singer kind of reminds me of Bob Marley with a higher register. It's really nice and the music goes well with the vocals. It would be nice to mix in for a chill mix.

Album started off well and was initially thinking it might be a 4 star album but as the album went on it went downhill for me. Really didn’t like the last 2 songs at all so ended up spilling the difference

Funky and funn

Альбом почався доволі цікаво, я таке поважаю. Даб, реггі, 90ті. Але після приблизно 4ї пісні все зовсім пішло в якийсь доволі посередній філерний матеріал. Не поганий, але і не кайфовий. Не знаю чому цей альбом тут, напевно по британській квоті.

I'm still struggling with "full album of reggae" but out of all the options on this list so far, I enjoyed this one the most. I either liked the front half more or was more open to it during the front half, not sure which.

Decent album. Reggae that I have never heard before. Kind of goes in and out of other genres as well, which is hit or miss. It was enjoyable. 3/5 Might listen again

its all over for me, I accidentally listened on shuffle 3

just not for me

Who would have thought that there was such a thing as Scottish reggae music? This is different from any of the albums on the list so far - perhaps that’s the reason it was included. There are a few nice tracks here, enough to rate the album three stars.

Finley Quaye is a good name for a made up friend. I've never heard of him. I'm curious about the intended parse of "Maverick A Strike". Is it a noun phrase? This album was weird. Scottish reggae? Trip-hop? I'm leaving vaguely unsettled. But in terms of a rating: it was fine. Highlight: 'It's Great When We're Together' (sounds kinda like... the background music in Persona 5)

Favorite Track: Ultra Stimulation

Dubby, a bit of trip hope. Decent couple of songs I there.

First off, I want to give a shout-out to the review someone wrote about the articles they found when googling this man. You made my evening, I laughed so hard. As for the album itself, it reminded me of cozy times, although I have never heard this before. It was just fine, but the associations it gave me were nice.

Sounds nice for the most part. Some parts I couldn't give a shit about and others I somewhat dislikes but for the most part it was fine and nice to listen to

Three stars for an album that has strong reggae elements is a high rating for me. I’m just not a reggae person, but I liked the fusion into different styles, with more enjoyment of songs that just have some reggae flair

Had a coffee shop background vibe, not something I'll jump back to anytime soon but didn't dislike

It's alright, not the best reggae I ever heard, but sounds nice enough to listen to.

Not bad, better than the other reggae album I'm about to listen to in the future on Jan 24th!

Ok

3/5⭐️

"Maverick a Strike" is the debut studio album by Scottish musician Finley Quaye. Progressive soul, trip-hop and reggae are the Wiki-listed genres of his music. The minimal liner notes list the album participants as Finley Quaye (singer, producer), Kevin Bacon (not the actor) (co-producer) and Jonathan Quarmby (co-producer). Commercially, the album reached #3 in the UK and #47 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Album Chart and, critically, it had mostly positive reviews. "Ultra Stimulation" opens the album with a reggae beat and guitar, laser synth noises and random drums. A guitar with a bluesy edge. Quaye singing with a Jamaican accent about the euphoric feeling of being with a loved one. The first single "Sunday Shining" has a harder rock edge, rock beat and a lo-fi sound. A bluesy rock guitar riff. Organ and horn fills. A hopeful song and the best song on the album for me by a mile. He slows it down in "Even After All." An echoing synth and guitar and scooting bass. It's more in the soulful tone and a romantic song. "Your Love Gets Sweeter" is a happy song with a plodding beat and a strumming guitar. Nice backing vocals. He's happy in his relationship. That's not the case in "I Need a Lover." The highlight of the song is a psychedelic backwards-sounding, Hendrix-esque guitar. Quaye feels so hot and needs affection, connection and intimacy. The majority of these songs have somewhat of a reggae beat. At times, there's a blues/rock edge with the guitar, a soulful vibe with organ and even ventures into trip-hop. Overall, the tone is pretty chill. I don't know if annoyed is too strong a word for me for a guy singing with Jamaican accent from Scotland but it didn't add anything. I have to be honest; this album did not move the needle for me. There were probably two songs I would play again. It is by no means a bad album but did nothing for me and I listen to it twice. I'd say if you're a light reggae or pop fan, there's a chance you would find something to like here. Otherwise, No.

Another mediocre record on this list. Oh well. . .

Reggae dub is a pleasant surprise

People sometimes ask me what music I’ve discovered through this project and now I can answer “I listened to some Scottish Reggae the other day!” Inevitably they will ask: How was it? And I can say: Meh.

Didn’t like the vocals at first, but the 90s light-reggae/trip-hoppy instrumentation carried it for me and made it enjoyable as background music

Not bad but nothing special

I kinda liked it, digged the reggae vibes

Different, but good.

cool. different. vocals don't keep up with music

Not bad. Find his voice irritating on a couple songs. But enjoyable music, overall. 3.5*

Not my thing at all

Pretty cool album. Some really good tracks on this one, though it kinda lulls in the second half. Reggae influenced R&B, infectious beats, I'm here for it

I enjoyed this, but maybe a bit too dubby at times. Definitely feels of that trip-hop adjacent era of British music in the 90s, I would listen again and expect to like it more second time around.

Achei um bom álbum. Curti os elementos de reggae. Pula Unicrom.

This was a fun listen of pop dub and reggae. I need to listen more to really get into it. Three stars.

It's fine. Not very interesting for someone that isn't into reggae. A low 3 for me.

a more diverse sound than id expect from a reggae record (i have not listened to many reggae records). favorite song is Even After All or I Need a Lover

Really not bad at all, has some stuff to chew on 6.3/10

interesting. I could really like this with more listens. 3.5/5

This is very much a sunny day album, so not entirely suited to walking yhe dog on a blustery 27 November morning. There are lots to like about this album, but i guess singles are singles for a reason and they are definitely the stars. Unfortunately the album doesn’t ever quite live up to its promise and possibly explains why this was pretty much it from Mr Quaye

Nice Reggae

Quite nice, but there's not a single thing that stayed with me. As if it was never there.

your love gets sweeter

3.5. Weird reggae type vibes.

When you see "scottish album," there is an sound i assumed. I was wrong, but this is another biazzare choice Bob Marley song sample is very fun

Fun album, with reaggae influences. Some highlights are Even After All, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Ride On and Turn The People on. At the end of the album it gets a bit boring.

If I had a nickel for every Scottish reggae/dub album I've listened to... I'd now have one nickel. While this was indeed pretty groovy and slick in places, I'm fine with just this one nickel.

1997. Double platinum Scottish reggae and soul music. Chill and interesting.

ultra simulation- 5 its great when we're together- 5 sunday shining- 5 even after all- 5 ride on and turn the people on- 5 the way of the explosive- 5 your love gets sweeter- 5 or 6 supreme i preme- 5 sweet and loving man- 5 red rolled and seen- 5 falling- 5 i need a lover- 5 maverick a strike- 5 i kinda dont care. happy thanksgiving

Liked a single or two, but the album disappointed.

really interesting approach to reggae. some of the experiments fail tho. at best its okay, at worst its really boring ngl

I read the reviews before listening, but this was actually a nice listen. Not a huge fan of reggae, but I am a fan of Greentea Peng, and got glimpses of her style here.

So this was a 2. But, then I did some research on this Scottish Reggae Man...and he gets a +1 star just for some of the headlines that pop up in his name: "Finley Quaye threatened to stab police officer and hurled racist abuse in assault arrest" "Finley Quaye found guilty for headbutting terminally ill friend in row over ‘Game Of Thrones'" "BRIT Award winner Finley Quaye sentenced over drunken assault on bar manager" "Finley Quaye Booted Off Stage By Promoter" "Troubled 90s reggae star Finley Quaye, 46, admits criminal damage after he threw metal road sign through glass bus door during row over fare" "90s popstar and BRIT Award winner Finley Quaye avoids jail after smashing up ex-partner's Edinburgh cafe"

ниче так, рэгги трип-хопчик

Reggae, very whatever. Not unpleasant

Never heard of it, thought it was perfectly fine

great scott! (this guy is from scotland)

Very 90's...but it didn't feel unique or like anything special.

This record is a cool reggae/rock vibe. Not something I’d come back to but glad to know it exists.

I don't the album was bad persay but it wasn my favorite

Reggae mixed with other genres. Listenable on a drive.

Never heard of those artist. Some nice tracks and Ann interesting mix of reggae, northern soul, dub, pop. There’s a lovely lightness to the album., something bright and summery but sophisticated. A good liaten. Not out of this world but worth repeating a few tracks at least. One or two seem familiar so wouldnt be aurprised if this album got a bit of radio play back in the day.

3.5

Okay

Cool reggae vibes. Started out standard UK reggae but then had some interesting stuff later in the album

Not really my jam, but I feel like it's well done for what it is. 3

I'm not sure if I like it. I enjoyed some of the songs like Sunday Shining, but this album is just odd to me. It's got some great "texture" to it. Lots of layers to listen to and digest, but I'm not sure if it's a good album. I've never heard of him before and no one I've asked knew his stuff. It's also like a weird wanna be soul/reggae kind of vibe to it. So some songs are sweet but try to get deep and it's just weird. I think this is the kind of album I will need to listen to a few times to figure out what I legitimately think of it. Cause right now I'm meh with a side of I don't know.

This was the first time I heard this artist, but it was quite good. A lot of it honestly sounded like dub straight from Kingston, so I was a little surprised it was a Scottish artist. And even cooler to learn how popular it was in the UK. That said, I'd probably prefer to listen to the source material, but if I'm ever in the mood for a more modern take on the genre, I'll definitely check this out again.

I've been a fan of Sunday Shining ever since I first heard it back in the late 90s. This was my first listen of anything else by Finley Quaye and I would classify it as....just okay.

Was ok most of the time with some stinkers at the end Will I listen to again: 3%

Great easy listening, very agreeable, upbeat, good vibes. Mostly reggae-esque with rock influence. I like this a lot.

I just want to know more about the guy who got headbutted.

plesantly surprised a nice mix of reggae and british soul.

I think it was ok

Have I not voted on this before or maybe only just listened to it. Feels new now even though it’s a late 90s album.

Sunday Shining is pretty great; the rest of the album sounds kinda generically reggae, not really my style. Don't know enough about the genre to say if it's groundbreaking or not.

I dig how bass forward this album is. Lyrics are kind of cheesy but the overall sound is great.

Enjoyable album. The music is rooted in reggae but stretches out into a few other neighboring genres. I love that deep and funky bass throughout. Finley Quaye is a nice singer too. His vocals are front and center in the mix — soulful and charismatic.

Pretty nice chill dub~adjacent tunes. I liked listening but not sure if it's an album you need to hear in your lifetime, unless I'm missing that it was super influential or something like that. I've been reserving 2/5's for albums that I think should both "potentially not be on this list" and also "aren't really that pleasing to my ears", and this one definitely sounded nice, so I'm giving it a 2.8 or so, enough to round to a 3.

I'm sure it's a great album but not for me

For a reggae album from the 90s this was more passable than I thought.

A bit of a mixed bag, the reggae parts were my least favourites ("Ultra Stimulation"), but the more mellow tracks like "Even After All" or "Your Love Gets Sweeter" were great. I felt his delivery also worked best when it was more laid back, not leaning so hard into the reggae side. The triphop ones were also pretty nice. I felt the record got better as it advanced, the second half was much better than the beginning.

Reggae always turns into background music for me. But that said I enjoyed the Album

Decently enjoyable neo-reggae, I suppose. 3

Sigh. Again, the British bent to this list asserts itself. This was a hit there but not in the U.S. and I’ve never heard of him. It’s quite fine reggae and dub stylings that I wouldn’t hate if on in the background.

I've never heard of Finley Quaye before. Sounds like Bob Marley Lite? Dollar store Bob Marley? Bob Marley from Temu? Whatever, this was pretty fun. Ultra Simulation got a bit repetitive, but the chill reggae beat was nice. Sunday Shining had some great music. Even After All was nice and relaxing. You Love Gets Sweeter was wonderful. Sweet And Loving Man was also good. The last few songs kind of lost that energy though. And there were a copule, Ride On And Turn The People On and Red Rolled And Seen, that were terrible. Hard to rate, I feel like the average pulls down to a 2, but all together I feel like Finley deserves a 3. Best song: Your Love Gets Sweeter

Sort of faded into the background without much of a mark.

This is decent. I never heard of Finley Quaye, so when I saw it was a Scottish musician, I was afraid it was gonna be some more bullshit like The Triffids. The first song was a nice surprise - probably my favorite of the album - but the album gets a little cumbersome after a while. 2.5 rounding up.

01) Ultra Stimulation - 7,0 02 ) It's Great When We're Together - 6,5 03) Sunday Shining - 7,0 04) Even After All - 8,5 05) Ride On and Turn the People On - 6,5 06) The Way of the Explosive - 6,5 07) Your Love Gets Sweeter - 8,0 08) Supreme I Preme - 7,0 09) Sweet and Loving Man - 6,5 10) Red Rolled and Seen - 7,0 11) Falling - 6,5 12) I Need a Lover - 6,5 13) Maverick a Strike - 6,5 TOTAL: 6,92 (69/100) Current ranking: 411/672

Maverick A Strike is another one of those albums where the music is good but the lyrics aren't so good. I really do like the fact that it is an album that goes beyond it's main genre by taking influence from others. I always love it when albums do that as it adds more flavor to them. This one mainly is reggae but takes quite a few influences from genres like rock, R&B and hip-hop. My main problem with this album though is the lyrics. These lyrics felt like they were written by someone who was incredibly desperate for a lover (especially in I Need A Lover) Finley just says some pretty creepy things which just feel very off-putting. Other than that, it's a good album, just wish it had better lyrics. Best Song: Supreme I Preme Worst Song: Red Rolled and Seen

Got off to a rough start but I really liked Sunday Shining and a few other tracks. Nice debut!

I've never listened to this album (13). Not the biggest of reggae. It wasn't bad though, especially when it melts in other genres.

This was better than I had expected, but it still didn’t blow me away and I probably didn’t need to hear it before I die.

Modern dub reggae sounds. Interesting but uneven album.

Reggae with bonus slightly odd sound effects. We enjoyed at points. At others, we did not.

REALLY good - demoted to 4 stars only because there weren't any standouts (it was more of a good wash) except for: Great bassline in 'The Way of the Explosive' Loved 'Supreme | Preme' in general - reminded me of Moby

This was ok, I was suprised how much the reviews here grill it. Scottish Reggae wasn't on my bingo sheet, but it was just about fine for the time I had to listen to it.

Chill reggae ish vibes. Scottish? Odd.

Salut Cyril! C'était vraiment un superbe voyage! Les photos ne rendent pas justice aux paysages, c'est vraiment un des plus beau coin du Québec, je te recommande grandement si tu compte explorer notre belle province! Le générateur a été assez clément concernant le post-punk pendant mon absence, j'ai peut-être passé à travers tout les albums de ce style, qui sait? Merci aussi pour la petite leçon d'histoire, je ne me doutais pas qu'il y avait autant de ramification partant du post-punk. J'ai revérifier la quantité d'album post-punk généré à date, j'ai été surpris de voir qu'il n'y en avait que 39! Je pense que j'ai amalgamé un peu le post-punk avec le New-Wave généré 71 fois et l'Indie à 106 fois (on va se le dire, ça sonne assez similaire la majorité du temps). Pour le jazz, par contre, seulement 48 albums sur 865! Et moi qui pensais approfondir mes connaissances en jazz avec cette liste... Je trouve aussi que la liste manque cruellement de musiques du reste du monde. Je peux pas concevoir l'idée que 90% des meilleurs albums de tout les temps proviennent de deux pays seulement! J'veux de l'afro-jazz, du funk japonais, de l'électro mexicain, du prog italien, de quoi de neuf! En parlant de cette foutue liste d'amour-haine, quels albums étais-tu le plus surpris de ne pas y retrouver? Il faudrait que j'y pense moi-même... Et bien, un autre enthousiaste du CD! Je serais curieux de savoir combien de disques tu possèdes. Je dois en avoir moins d'une centaine à tout péter, et je commence déjà à manquer de place! J'ai aussi commencer à brûler sur CD certaines de mes playlists et à faire des bootlegs des albums que je suis convaincu de ne jamais trouver ici! Je me fais même chier à reproduire et imprimer les pochettes! J'espère que ton écoute de mes albums proposés avances bien! ;) (Y'a aucun stress, c'est pas un devoir!) Passe une bonne rentrée! (si c'est pas déjà passé)

A solid album, with a few catchy highlights.

I got this album as a teenager and I didnt care for it, back then I had no idea what dub was. It's fine now.

I genuinely enjoyed this so much. The second half is not as good as the first few songs. Overall fantastic production. Strong strong 3

Nice lowkey reggae but otherwise nothing extraordinary.

this is totally fine but I'm kind of baffled by the idea that it's on the list, we get like 7 reggae albums, and we're gonna have one of them be this?

Reggea-Vibes aus Schottland. Schönes Album für den Sommer 3/5

Some great stuff on here. Also some annoying stuff on here. My first introduction to Finley Quaye, and I look forward to hearing some of these songs in the future.

Sort of a mixed bag. The more soul influenced pieces are really quite good, and will be added to my regular rotation. Some of the other songs are less inspired, but nothing is too bad that I would skip it.

It was kinda like funk reggae?

Well I had so many mixed feeling listening to this. At first I hated but then some soulful songs would come and I would love that, then weird reggae comes back again, and no, I wasnt feeling it...Overall I felt an ok album, it is all over the place but cohesive. . I can see it was acclaimed but it makes me wonder why is this on the list. I've never heard of him before and some easy listening songs remind me sooo much of Morcheeba. It feels weird. 3/5

it's good but not my thing for a whole album

All my points go to how this record holds some very unique takes on the sounds of roots in dub/raggae and blends it with all sorts of sounds in a nuanced way! “It’s Great When We’re Together” is a wonderful song with a soulful, more expansive lifting of the typical dub/raggae sound into something more soulful and mass-appealing. Excellent chorus on this one. And for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on, this sounds like a drum less Jamiroquai song?? Does anyone else hear that or am I going insane after 520ish albums. The next song “Sunday Shining” starts out much more rough and I admittedly didn’t like the beginning of it, but it actually develops into a nice big band rocker towards the end. “Ride On And Turn The People On” is incredible and a blend of genres right up my alley. Still using that dub/raggae foundation, but this time taking on some new age and even jungle production aesthetics! And also a stream of consciousness/personal slice of life subject matter I think? This song is so cool and I’ve never heard another song like it, which is impressive because dub/jungle/raggae/breakbeats/new age we’re all getting their moments in the sun around the turn of the century. “Supreme I Preme” is another interesting sound, it kinda throws in some early trip hop into the mix. I really like how fuzzy it all sounds. On this list I often hear albums that dip drastically in quality on their second leg; that isn’t necessarily true for Maverick A Strike, but it does get decidedly more mellow. Not a complaint, just more of a listener beware. Firm 3/5, Ive been wishing for a 10 star system again lately because this probably sits more at a light 7/10 on a good day for me

meh

3.5

I expected worse based on some of the comments, but I thought this was decently enjoyable. Probably not essential, but I did enjoy a fair number of tracks here. "Sunday Shining" was the highlight. 3.5 stars.

I felt myself tapping along but didn't actually save any music here. Not bad, but not good enough to stand out for me.

*Low budget Bob Marley mixed with Boyz 2 Men and sometimes Jack Johnson and a lot of autotune or something going on. *I would probably like this a lot more if I couldn’t just listen to Bob Marley instead… *Wait, he’s Scottish? Definitely wouldn’t have been my guess. RATING - 6.5/10

Pretty catchy, though I did get a bit bored by the end.

The singles are good, and made him briefly well known. The rest of the album is a solid, but less memorable set of reggae tracks. I could probably listen to a lot more like Red Rolled and Seen / Maverick A Strike dub tracks.

Surprisingly solid to high 3, never heard of this but nice for a chilled Saturday

Interesting reggae sound just ok nothing particularly special about this.

Lekker

Fine. I like reggae in general, but this album felt unexceptional on first listen.

Fine, not really my thing but reggae done very professionally. Good on them.

It was fine.

++: It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, Ride On and Turn the People On, Sweet and Loving Man, I Need a Lover +: Even After All, The Way of the Explosive, Supreme I Preme, Red Rolled and Seen +-: Ultra Stimulation, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Falling, Maverick a Strike 6,4/10

This was ok, but a little bland. I like the reggae and dub sound generally. Knew a couple of the tracks, so must've heard him before at some point, but completely forgotten about him. Love gets sweeter is pretty good. Sunday shining too, but it's basically a cover. I'd had enough by the end of the album, I think probably enough for a 3 but it's not great. 2.5

Found a lot of this interesting and fun, some of it was a little meandering. Liked "Supreme I Preme."

Skottilaista jonkin sortin reggaeta? Jotkut kappaleet aika puhdasta reggaeta, joissain aika erikoinen elektroninen kulma, vähän jopa trip hoppinen. Aika radio kelpoista kamaa kuitenkin. Parhaat: Supreme I Preme, Sunday Shinimg

Por un lado, la lista cumple y me entrega un disco que nunca había escuchado, abriendo los horizontes sonoros, pero por otro lado ofrece un disco que, en mi limitada experiencia, tiene casi cero influencia o registro cultural. Así las cosas, califica como disco oculto.

I went in with the lowest expectations, but was pleasantly surprised. The first half of the album has some super interesting and memorable tracks, but it really lost the momentum at that point. 3/5

Solid album, easy listen

Soft vocals

Very good, a great blend of reggae into soul and r&b, a cool combo I hadn't heard much of. Would listen again

Extremely enjoyable reggae

Fun record. I appreciate

ok

Good reggae sound. Good chill beach music.

I'd never heard of Finley Quaye before today, and this was an interesting listen, but I couldn't quite pin down whether I liked it or not. Sometimes it was lie a standard reggae sound with nothing super unique or interesting and at other times it was very groovy and not quite like anything else I'd heard before. I'm kinda torn between 2 stars and 4 stars, so I'm saying 3.

It's good but not really my thing

It’s tough IMO to make a reggae album sound different from all the other reggae albums out there. This guy gave it a good shot.

I'm really glad I don't care about Game of Thrones or take public transport, thank you reviewers. Anyways the album's pretty good, I don't really understand why it's on the list though.

hmm. nicht einfach einzuordnen. sound gut, gesang mässig bis unkoordiniert, und die tracks hinten auf dem album fallen ab - wohl kein zufall dass die nicht als singles veröffentlicht wurden.

Was nice but don't generally listen to reggae.

Interesting. Enjoyed it. Didn’t know there was Scottish reggae. Might not go back to this again. But don’t shy away from listening to more.

Not quite getting the hate for this album. Who cares if it's a dude from Scotland doing reggae? You like what you like, and for me this is pretty catchy and a fun listen. There is also some experimental/tri-hop/indie vibes throughout the whole album too which makes its very unique. I haven't heard anything quite like it so in my book it's getting points for creativity. The downfalls I see is the whole album doesn't flow very well. Especially at the end some of the songs are quite boring and way to repetitive. Overall I thought it was a pretty good listen.

Sköna reggae/ska referenser. Ganska mysig musik, men inte riktigt min grej. Trea

Raggae that has fun commentary but gets a little too weird at some points

Genuinely never heard of this one.

not bad as background music, his accent is pretty awful though

Solid album.

Not horrible but not something I'd revisit.

Pretty good album with a few familiar songs.

Dig it. Not as good as Exodus, but good shit.

Reasonably good fun. I won't be back but wouldn't mind hearing again

OK. Need a .5 star really. I remembered a couple of the tracks. Liked Sunday shining and Even after all.

Rasta

3.5/5

Solid record, reggae feel, cool voice, well-recorded. Nothing really stood out - it seemed fine.

This didn't do much for me. It made me want to listen to better reggae. It's fine, but I won't come back to it.

Un album aux textures sonores travaillées et recherchées. Une influence reggae bien présente, sans devenir caricaturale

cute little thang not anything to write home about but enjoyable

"Sunday Shining" is such an evocative song for me and I love it. It's almost jazz-like in the way it constantly shifts and changes. The rest of the album is patchy as hell, sometimes verging into futuristic dubstep while other tracks sound like Finley was high with a tape recorder in his bedroom. Also not sure if Finley himself is "troubled" or "a complete dick."

I remember my dad buying/ playing this from the pound shop once, didn’t like it. I’ll admit it’s better than I thought but simultaneously I was playing a game on my phone on ‘its great when we’re together’ and an advert popped up. On the advert there was some piano background music that really complemented the song and I missed it when the advert stopped. Honestly I didn’t find it great nor bad 3/5

It’s a testament to how great Bob Marley was that even the palest of imitations is still a pretty solid album. Favorite Track: Ride On and Turn the People On

For the most part, "Maverick A Strike" is fairly forgettable, but there are some good tracks that bring a relaxed, easy-going feeling to them. Generally, not a big fan of reggae and dub ("Scottish?"), it combines a modern approach with Quaye's adequately okay vocals that are mildly interesting, but never feels completely authentic or essential. An okay listen for an average talent and album.

I normally like reggae, and this wasn’t bad, but not the best I’ve heard. 6/10

I am not certain that I like this album but it is interesting in a way. 3 stars or C+.

Pretty cool. Quite eclectic: dub, soul, and other stuff I can't place. 3.5

Not completely my cup of tea, but certainly not bad.

Mostly boring background music for poolside chillin 2.8

I don't think I'd call this essential listening, but it's fine, I guess.

Strong 3

2.8 Some parts good, some parts bad. The more rasta parts were the weak points, unfortunately that extended to the majority of tracks. But there were some highlights in there, I Need a Lover for example. Not my music, but glad I heard it.

Well I certainly wasn't expecting reggae. Sunday Shining triggers some long ago memory that I have no real recollection of. Anyway, it kind of grew on my on the second listen, with faves being Sunday Shining and the title track.

El bajo y su protagonismo llega a saturar en muchos de sus temas los que además no logran liberarse de un cansino ritmo

Not my favourite but still good

I liked this. It was fun. 3.7

OK but nothing special

Reggae and Jazzy ! Did not really enjoy the beginning or the end. That's not the music you'd expect from Edinburgh !!! Thought that Toots and Maytals were singing instead of him in some songs. I'll revisit it 3.5

I like the reggae funk sound, but nothing really stuck out

idk what to say about this

cool, weird shit

Not terrible recognised a few songs but not my cuppa tea

Never been a fan mainly as I find his voice annoying, but the 2 big singles are still decent.

Jamaican sounding vocals with some nice deep bassy music. Shame that it's mostly fairly dull. Some of the early songs had promise.

Lot of great stuff on this album - Sunday Shining and Ultra Stimulation are highlights. But there’s also a lot of filler - if the last four tracks were removed then I think this would be a great album. Red Rolled and Seen feels like the background music of a Crash Bandicoot game - there are a couple other tracks like this which are repetitive and irritating. Regardless, Finley Quaye remains Scotland’s finest reggae artist. I feel confident in saying that’s something nobody will ever take away from him.

I am really conflicted about this. It had some really cool things in it. but also I was not sure if it's still the same album I'm listening to at some moments. Overall - not bad. 😁😄

Although it's not my usual choice of music, it really has a nice vibe.

2.5

I gather this is some new-age reggae, or a poppy take on it? I think there were a couple hits here. Sunday Shining is a cool jam and The Way Of The Explosive was more of a traditional reggae track that I liked. Everything else was either forgettable or not very good. I think this feels like a low 3.

I get it but not my thing but still a few good tracks

Kinda reggae, funk, maybe jazzy?

Solid album with some good sounds. Not enough to leave me wanting more, but a worthy listen.

not really my cup of tea, but a good album

Me dejé llevar por las pésimas notas y creí que me la pasaría fatal, y para nada. No soy nada fan del reggae, pero esto en primera no parece mucho reggae y en segunda tiene arreglos bastante padres y sorprendentes. Así que se va con 3.

3.5

Another reggae album that's perfectly okay

This album (and Finley Quaye) was unknown to me until now. It's a pleasant enough mix of reggae funk and soul that comes across as bit of pastiche.

Was expecting reggae after the intro to the first track but was treated to a mix of styles. Really enjoyed the funkier tracks like "Sunday Shining" and the spoken word "Ride On and Turn the People On". Felt very 90s, nearly like "Fatboy slim" but without the many samples if that makes sense. Would've been a 4 star but the length of the album is to its detriment. Will settle for a very strong 3. Can see myself listening to this some more.

Nit a bad album but just mellow vibes

Decent enough. Missed this when it came out. Seems like the style was a fad in the end and Quaye’s fame was brief.

so fun!

Always put off by his voice but when it’s part of an album is just nice coffee table ambiance

Słuchałem tego z 4 razy. Oceny, które chciałem temu wystawić wahały się między 2 a 4, co chwilę co innego myślałem o tym albumie. Niektóre kawałki są naprawdę fantastyczne ("It's Great When We're Together" najbardziej zapadło mi w pamięć), a niektóre ciągną się w nieskończoność, choć trwają ledwie kilka minut ("The Way of the Explosive"). Mnogość stylów jakoś mi nie przypadła do gustu przy tym albumie. Nie wrócę, bo za dużo rzeczy mnie męczyło lub nużyło, ale za te kilka fajnych kawałków muszę docenić.

Super dubby out of the gate on Ultra Stimulation. Not a genre I ever seek out, but I always do enjoy it when its on. This has a distinctly electronic lean that is pretty damned trippy. Try as I might, I couldn't really focus on this one. I enjoyed it at its dubbiest and spaced out: Ultra Stimulation, Even After All, Sweet and Loving Man. Otherwise, I didn't mind it, but didn't really get too deep into it. Like a high 3.

Nothing wrong with some nice chill reggae. At least one of the songs had an electronic funk to it that reminded me of Gramatik. A couple of the songs were 4 star songs, but most of the album fell comfortably into a solid 3.

Some nice reggae that really nothing stood out on. Pretty forgettable

Solid background music but nothing that really pushes it in any direction for me. Hope we get some more of the influential reggae though if this is on here. Middling 3.

A quite OK reggae album with songs that are pretty unique from each other. The singer uses the typical reggae voice. I'm not a big fan of this genre, but not bad. Favorite track: Even After All

Had never heard of this guy before, but this is really nice. It's just really good reggae. I especially like "Sunday Shining", with the dark backing vocals and psychadelic jangle. The opening track and "Ride On" are also very strong. Towards the end the wheels start to come off a bit, it gets a little spacey and slow. But the front half is very tight. Couple of these are going in the rotation.

It was okay.

Прикольная музыка

Smooth reggae sound, and absolutely delicious bass licks. However, the farther it strays from its reggae roots, the more it tries to incorporate so many different sounds and styles, the less interesting it becomes. Perhaps just a case of trying to be too many things for too many people.

This has a super weird tonal diversity to it. some of it is rootsy Jamaican, some is straight ahead alt brit rock, some electronica/jungle style textures. The transition between Your Love Gets Sweeter to Supreme I Preme is very illustrative of this.

Wow, now this is some serious hipster shit. Scottish reggae from the '90s? I bet you NONE of your friends and family have EVER heard of or heard this album - You're going to get some serious music hipster cred when you pull out this vinyl. That aside, its kinda forgettable. Its OK, but not great. 3/5

This has some good moments. The scots/reggae sound is quite interesting and works well for some songs, but does tire by about half way through the album. Overall I don't think this is something I'm going to come back to, except for maybe the two songs I list below! I hadn't heard of Finley Quaye before. It's quite sad to read about him now; he clearly had this really exciting moment of fame in the 90s, but it just didn't last, and since them he's been through bankruptcy and convictions. Top tracks: Your Love Gets Sweeter (this is a nice track!) Even After All

Fav song: Maverick a Strike I really like all the reggae bits on this album, but I find the rest of it to be a bit of a miss. I will say though, the way he mixed down other genres but with a Reggae style mixdown is pretty cool and fun to listen to. Lyrically I personally find it a bit tiring when there are too many songs about the exact same thing on one album, and he sings about love a LOT. But other than that, it's inoffensive and totally fine.

Pleasant enough

This was a pretty interesting listen, the production is really interesting in contrast to the vocals/style. Overall glad I listened, probably won't revisit.

Moderne reggae, lidt jazz, go vibe

It was unconventional reggae and still had rhythm, it deserves to be on the list because it's so weird. Just not really my cup of tea.

This was some fun, chill reggae.

I remember Finley Quaye but I'd forgotten the actual tunes and this has been a pleasant stroll down memory lane. It never really grabbed me in a major way back in '97 and it also hasn't now but it's pleasant enough. He does a nice job of combining his singer-songwritering with some Reggae-tinged RnB, which was certainly having a moment at the time. I appreciate it, although it's not really my favourite thing.

Very beautiful music weird fusion of a bunch of musical styles, really dont know what to make of it, sounds like it could be by a musician from huntington beach or florida or something, but Im not really crazy about it.

Quite enjoyable.

A well produced album and a good listen.

Interesting little reggae album.

some fun songs

Fun, but somewhat repetitive.

Instrumentally I really liked what this album brought, but good lord were the vocals just not there. It sounded like a caricature of a Jamaican trying to do reggae and just missed so hard which is disappointing because I think there could have been something really good here. 2.5/5

Lots of cool dub-inspired bass, lots of dogshit lyrics. I actually like a much of the music; I'm afraid that the effect is too often spoiled when Quaye opens his mouth. I'm being generous by giving this three stars. I'm in a good mood, and the electric piano across this album is sultry.

2.5/5

A decent reggae album - affectionate towards this one as I remember this was a favourite of a sibling - however in the spirit of some objectivity it’s not as good a reggae album as most of the good ones on this list - and as a pop album it’s ok at best.

I have little experience with Reggae outside of some of the biggest songs that everyone knows. This was an enjoyable listen, but a bit overlong, and had most of it's enjoyable moments in the upbeat, high energy songs. There's no doubt that the slower songs aren't sweet in their lyricism but boy do they play out at a snails pace.

Chill reggae - not my favorite music genre but is still solid!

Nice, easy Nice songs: Sunday Shining, Your Love Gets Sweeter,

Funky. But I need to write reviews right after listening, not the next morning.

Very smooth

3/5

Great reggae flavor, same calories as the beloved Bob Marley. Nice bounce to start the week . However, ready some other reviews leads me to have a bitter aftertaste

Correcto

Leuk hoor, een potje reggae, maar wat is hier bijzonder aan? Niks steekt zijn kop boven het Jamaicaans-Schotse maaiveld uit.

Soort moderne versie van reggae, al is het ook huismerk Bob Marley. Marley Quaye gooit er wat soul doorheen. Prima om een keertje te luisteren, al duurt het album met 50 minuten best lang. Het is geen vervelende muziek voor op een brakke vrijdagochtend, je stoort er weinig mensen mee. Maar ik betwijfel of ik me dit ga herinneren verder. Typisch voor een vergeetbare 3 dus.

Lemppari: It's Great When We're Together Vähiten lemppari:Supreme I Preme

This was pretty decent. Nothing here really blew me away, but I enjoyed the playthrough and wouldn't turn it off if it popped up again. 3/5

Better than most reggae, but still reggae. :( 2.75/5

Surprised at this one. Actually enjoyed it. Scottish reggae … who knew?

Probably 3.5 not really my vibe

reggae halt, ein Album geht, dann muss wieder was anderes her

Maverick A Strike: Finley Quaye: 1997. Absolutely never heard this or of the artist. I was definitely wondering why this was on the list and had to force myself to have an open mind despite the album cover. It took until the third listen yesterday for it to grow on me. Ultimately I enjoyed enough of it to assign 3 stars but I'll probably forget about it in a month as well.

Pretty good sound.

I'd forgotten about this guy completely, but found a couple of songs that I liked from back in the day. Enjoyable trip-hop infused with reggae and a hint of soul. Comes together well.

Bob meets Lenny meets Billy

3.75

Only ever listened to his singles, rather than album. Not too bad

A decent listen, 3.5*

...

Reminded me a lot of jon Batiste and his whole style of mixing r&B a bit of jazz and like reggae

Good reggae album. Not a genre I know much about but it sounded good to me!

‘Even After All’ is one of my all time favourite songs and I bought this CD off the back of it. The other singles are good but don’t hit the same highs for me. Overall, a really solid album which was nice to revisit

It's alright because I'm a sucker for some reggae bass lines, but the vocalist himself isn't all that, and the songs blend together. Probably shouldn't be on the list as I don't think it's essential, but it's OK.

Its whatever

Solid reggae, but not something I would come back to

76% Fav: Ultra Stimulation, Sunday Shining Least: Ride On and Turn the People On Must-Hear? No, but give it a chance

daora

pleasant, but not exactly my style

Ehh... alright. Probably not really notable outside the 90s. 2.5/5

Scottish reggae. Weird.

Didn't get what is special about this. It was mediocre to me.

A lovely Summer pop album. Loved the big hit(ter)s from this at the time. It does drift in a couple of places, but has nice changes of mood throughout. Still stands up as a very good album now.

I was surprised by this - far more interesting than I remembered at the time. Maybe that's a comment on how one dimensional I was back in 1997. Yer man was pigeon holed at the time, which was slightly unfair. He didn't fit into the Britpop times. There's a lot of depth here. It's aged far better than most of the Britpop dirge.

First listen in a long long time. Still as good as I remember.

Whatever even for background not that good

Props for doing reggae differently than all the other albums on this list that sound the same. A few good songs on here.

Could be a good one to go back to. Didn't get too much on the first listen but there's a lot going on, with different vibes coming and going throughout.

It’s a little underwhelming. I like a more upbeat sound

Ein interessantes Reggae Album ohne 08/15 Arrangements. Angenehme Unterhaltung, aber nicht weltbewegend

Some may say that reggae is very easy to do , but completely nailing the sound is where it's at . Even before learning of Finley Quaye's origins I was already expressing thoughts of something essential to reggae just lacking . Not to say non-jamaican artists can't make good reggae . Just that this didn't go well with me and there are many more good reggeae records deserving of a place on here.

Love gets sweeter is a wonder track, After All is good, and Maverick a Strike is alright, otherwise I thought it was a bit flat

ganz chillig aber nothing special

Some good songs here, never heard of him though. This is an interesting variation of reggae. High 3.

A fun listen but not one I’m likely to go back to. It at least had a different sounds from many albums on this list in its fusion of pop, rock, and reggae. A high 3.

I wasn't previously familiar with this album but it was an interesting foray into mid-90s reggae.

Just chill reggae, nothing too interesting.