Maverick A Strike

I don’t really like reggae of whatever flavor, and there’s certainly nothing special about this.

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.

Solid stuff

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.

Ok in parts but what a relief when it finally came to an end.

So far my lowest point. It's just a derivative blend of reggae, pop, soul and r&b without committing to anything. I try by best to be objective regardless of my personal taste but I don't understand why this is in this list. The fake jamaican accent killed me.

Sometimes this experience has me questioning if I actually like music

I have never heard of this person before. It’s reggae? Scottish reggae? And this record sold 600,000 copies?

I once heard a comedian say "you don't like reggae music, you like sitting on the beach with a coconut rum in your hand while reggae music plays in the background." He may have been right, this reggae adjacent album did absolutely nothing for me while sitting in my basement. It probably would have hit different on the beach.

boring

He does some interesting stuff with the genre, I'll give him that, I just don't know that I need this many reggae albums in my life.

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.

I’ll start with the positive: the music itself was an interesting, a combination of reggae, funk, pop, and rock that had some potential. But the lyrics were often incredibly stupid; my “favorite” line was “I’m a hero like Robert DeNiro.” And vocally it sounds like he’s doing a bad Bob Marley impression through the whole album. I looked it up-the dude is Scottish and has no Jamaican heritage. So the vocals come off weird and borderline offensive.

Even after all is one of my fave songs. This albums though truely doesn't back it up. A few good songs. Way too much filler and it's feels wat longer than 50mins.

I never considered myself a fan of reggae, but this was a surprising enjoyable album.

why

easy listening

This didn’t blow me away, but I could see it being cool for a certain mood. First single Sunday Shining pretty good.

I think it's kind of awesome that, in addition to all-time classic albums, indisputably important albums and just really interesting albums, every so often we get an album that they guy who did this list just happened to really like at some point. No snark - it's actually fun to get one of these.

Another one of these albums that I've never heard of. Wow, this starts off so badly! Really, really bad reggae! Nope, I can't even get through a single song, also that cover of Bob Marley was abhorrent. Zero stars, this is some absolute crap.

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.

Some songs were okay but I'm not a reggae guy

It felt like I was left “on hold” for 51 minutes. Or on a really long elevator ride.

Did not mind this one

A Scottish guy with Ghanaian heritage pretending to be Jamaican, putting on a fake accent and singing about “Rastas”? No, thank you. On top of that, the music is painfully dull, the vocals sound like a Sesame Street puppet with a cold and it seems that old Finley is an awful man outside the studio too. This should not be on the list. Nobody needs to hear this. A waste of a spot on this project.

I enjoyed this a fine blend of reggae, soul and a touch of funk

Pretty boring, yeah

🎧Idk I just don’t like this. Sounds like music they’d play at the Gap or Starbucks in the early 2000s. Soulless.

El disco no está mal y en cuanto a voz, el cantante canta bien. No termino de conectar con este estilo y ritmos, pero las letras son bonitas y el sentimiento. Reggae puro

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.

FUN

Lowkey laidback.

Maverick A Strike by Finley quaye. I have no idea how to rate this album. On one hand. It’s clearly good music, it’s fun and makes me smile while listening, especially because it’s a white Scottish/British guy doing a damn good job at reggae music. There are a few songs I’d ever put on my liked songs list. That being said, it’s not within the music I usually like, and it does just a bit feel like he’s missing the “impact” that Caribbean and Southern US reggae artists have. 4/5 I guess but truly this could go anywhere from 2.5/5 to 5/5

Finley Quaye – Maverick A Strike (1997) On Day 73, Maverick A Strike turned out to be a bit of a letdown. While it has its highs and lows, the overall experience was honestly just boring and sounded somehow dull. It tries to blend reggae rhythms with 90s pop, but the result lacks the triumphant energy or the deep soul needed to make it a standout body of work. There are moments of decent production, and I can see the high-level effort in the arrangements, but it doesn't do enough to pull me in. It’s not buns like the previous day, but it’s far from a masterpiece. A fair 2/5 for an album that just didn't have enough spark to stay interesting.

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.

A perfectly listenable roots reggae album by what is it doing on this list?!

I hated this when it was released. Time has only deepened my hate.

2.5, revisit

Made the mistake and read about the guy... i could not condone, hence the low rating, even though i like reggae.

A nice little slice of sunshine. The music here is bright, catchy, and has got me feeling groovy! Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - It's Great When We're Together - Sunday Shining - Even After All - Your Love Gets Sweeter

4/10

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

This was one of the best reggae album I've ever listened to. Lyrics weren't as good as Bob Marley, but the music was certainly more diverse and interesting.

Nope

It's ok. Some great moments, some dross.

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

50/50

I mean, this list has given me several 5's recently so it was about time for one of these. I don't know, why? Just why? Is it the worst album on the list, probably not. But does it deserve an hour of literally anyone’s time, not one bit.

this guy lowk weird and sings with a fake accent

3/5 mid

Cafe Del Mar-core snooze fest.

Take that, Michael Franti!

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.

Oh no, we’ve had such a good run and now they give me a reggae album. Ugh. I’m not a fan of reggae. I just never could get into it. It all kind of sounded the same to me. I know that makes me sound like a boomer. Are the kids still using that term? I’m not a boomer. I was 16 years old, and I disliked reggae. It just doesn’t speak to me. Now, it could be because I don’t partake in the pot. Are the kids still using that term? But I thought Pink Floyd would be the same, andI love them with none of the pot. Finley Quaye is a Scottish dude, Maverick a Strike was his first album. It kind of exploded in the United Kingdom, selling over 600,000 units. Not sure he made a dent in the U.S., but he put out several other albums. Now, our good friends at Wikipedia told me Quaye’s music was reggae, as I get into track 2, It’s Great When We’re Together, it doesn’t sound so reggae like. Maybe the bass line, which a funky reggae bass line is pretty fire. Are the kids still saying that term? Anyway, our good friends at Wikipedia could be wrong. Track 3, Sunday Shining, is not a reggae song. It has reggae leanings, as Quaye is singing in a reggae style with a Jamaican accent. Which is a bit weird as he’s Scottish, but what do I care? Sunday Shining has a great horn section and a nice little riff on guitar, and it’s just a rather fine pop song. So far, I think I’d classify this album as a soulful pop album. Quaye isn’t a great singer. He kind of talk sings, again, with a Jamaican accent. It’s fine. In fact, I think it adds a cool touch to the music. You don’t really expect to hear his voice with such smooth pop soul. Oh, here comes the rapping. I guess it could be that he is Jamaican but came to Scotland as a kid. He has a Scottish accent when talking, I checked. But what do I care? Even though I keep bringing it up. Track 6, The Way of the Explosive, has a great funky bassline. This song sounds more reggae than the last 3 or 4. Now, the way Quaye seems to just be stream of consciousness, this does sound like a real reggae song. Now the funky bass line is just annoying, as there has been no change in the music since the beginning. I’m 8 songs in, and I’m not sure why this album was selected for the list. It’s fine, I guess, but I imagine there are many better examples of reggae or whatever this music is to represent. I’m not offended by the music, but it’s just not making me lose my mind like Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, and Sparks did this week. In the end, this is just not an album I’ll ever listen to again. It didn’t have a spark for me. Though I can see how a ton of people probably love this album. For someone who likes easy listening pop music with a hint of Jamaica, this might be one you’ll love. I need something to make me feel anything, love or hate. This album just left me feeling meh. Are the kids still using that term?

Felt like a watered down reggae album. Normally reggae feels like being on a beach vacation, and this didn’t have a transportative quality

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

Based on the description I had low expectations and they were not exceeded. Not offensive but in my opinion pretty dull. I saved “Sunday Shining”.

This album was ear candy from the first track to the last. I love the reggae and dub sound. I'm no expert on it but I know what I like and I would definitely play this album again.

Я щось взагалі не викупив цей альбом. Якийсь фейк реггі. Не сподобались взагалі виконнаня Фінлі. Навіть дабовий бас не рятує для мене загальну картину.

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.

front half inoffensive, back half increasingly annoying, approaching atrocious

pretty easy listen, nothing remarkable, just a nice time

Enjoyed this more than expected!

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

I’m not exactly the one to determine it, but a Scottish man with Ghanaian roots singing reggae in a fake Jamaican accent feels like some sort of cultural appropriation

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

just not for me

Not for me i think

"Paaaaaaas du tout"

Didn't even finish. Truly hated.

Better than I expected.

bro is literally scottish….

Hes right behind me isnt he

Listening to this album made me another victim of his abuse

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)

Baffling that this is one of only a handful of real Reggae albums on this list. Bit too long and the end didn't really have many noteworthy songs for me. Some songs were pretty decent IMO. There were some groovy instrumentals and I have a soft spot for the very cliché sounding 90's pop songs on here. Not really one I'd come back to though.

JAMAICAN TRIP HOP??????? YESSSSSSSSSA. I would’ve never found about Jamaican Trip hop until this site. I love this mix of sounds, reggae, trip hop and downtempo it mixes all of the chillest vibes and puts it into this one album. perfect album to get high too if i’m being honest. i found myself head bopping throughout the whole album its just so satisfying these sounds, all of the sounds play it’s perfect parts. It’s so so so cool i want more yyssss ussss okay 9/10

Favorite Track: Ultra Stimulation

Bet this sucks

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

I enjoyed this a lot. I thought it was going to be a basic reggae album but that bass lines are so crisp and the lyrics are fantastic. This is some groundbreaking shiz.

Not for me. Mostly forgettable, a few songs I remember from the original chart hits, but too few to lift it.

2,1/5

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

Musically, 𝘔𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘬𝘦 isn’t a bad album at all — its blend of late-90s pop, reggae, and trip-hop touches is perfectly serviceable. The problem is that there were already plenty of records exploring this exact mix around that time, often with more character. And Finley Quaye’s voice, which should be a distinguishing feature, ends up being more irritating than engaging. I certainly wouldn’t have handed him a Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist in 1998. Pleasant enough in places, but far from essential.

Well, the music itself was mediocre, but after Googling his name, and finding out more about his shenanigans(as well as blatant bigotry), I deducted a point. Favorite Track: "Sunday Shining".

This album doesn't belong on any lists, seriously. Giving it 2 stars only because it isn't actively offensive to my ears.

I enjoyed most of this album. I did find the song, "Red Rolled And Seen" a little tedious. I liked, "Your Love Gets Sweeter" the most.

Got on CD and love his voice , nice and chilled and great album

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

I hope to God I never meet anyone in my life that considers this soulless junk essential. It's albums like this that makes me question if doing this project is even worth it. I spent almost an hour hearing this garbage because I actually hear every album because if I didn't what would be the bloody point? I could have spent that hour hearing something I actually like- you know? I promised myself that if I ever fail to listen to an album IN FULL from start to finish, I will stop doing this project at once- today I came really close to throwing in the towel. If someone prompted AI to create an album using the words, Reggae, trip hop, soul & insightful lyrics that album would sound EXACTLY like this garbage. Fuck art is subjective. This is shit. Did you like this album? Good for you! You enjoy shit music, own it but don't fool yourself into thinking it's a good album- it's not, you just have shit taste.

I remember Maverick A Strike by Finley Quaye being absolutely everywhere when it came out. It felt huge at the time, one of those records you couldn’t avoid. Listening back now, I honestly struggle to see why it blew up quite so much. There are a couple of genuinely lovely songs here Sunday Shining and Your Love Gets Sweeter but beyond those highlights, there isn’t a great deal going on. The album settles into a very safe, chilled, mainstream reggae groove and never really pushes beyond that. It’s pleasant enough, but that’s about it. There’s far stronger, more interesting reggae out there that never made the 1001 Albums list, which makes this inclusion feel a bit generous. It also drags towards the end a tighter tracklist would have helped a lot. Favourite track: Sunday Shining – easily the standout and still a great song. Least favourite tracks: The final stretch (tracks 10–13) adds nothing and could have been cut without loss. Album artwork: Fine, but completely unremarkable.

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

This didn't do anything for me. I'm not terribly surprised, after reading the Wikipedia entry, as the 1001 has a bunch of head scratching UK selections. These are recordings that are usually pretty boring, and certainly not something that everyone should listen to before they die LOL

I love reggae, I love dub music in particular, but to have a list of 1001 albums you *have* to listen to, and then add this lame shit but nothing including King Tubby is pretty impressive.

Njet

Me aburrió

Ok

3/5⭐️

Gosh, this instantly brought back memories of my bro having this CD and also the popularity of ‘Your love gets sweeter’ too - instantly transported! Yeh, this is a groove! Really nice energy and spirit. Layered and skilful. Nice bit of variety too and clean sounding ❤️ drops off a bit towards the end from ‘Red Rolled…’ Interesting personal life, to say the least. Some horrific attacks and violences and son also took his own life. The layers of being human, hey?!

This is fine, and largely fun, but there were a couple of times when I thought to myself, "y'know, I could just listen to Tricky or Bob Marley." That may say more about me than the music, but I think it still says something about the music.

"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. . .

no está feo, está bacano pero tiene como alguito que no me cuadra al final. igual me gustó entonces bien

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.

Very enjoyable.

pretty cool tbh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! finley quaye essentially takes reggae and layers it over some fairly robust rock and pop ideas, which i suppose is where things could feel a lil weird for some ppl...it certainly doesnt have the blues-esque structural openness u get with most reggae, so its inherently a bit more rehearsed and a bit less warm. but idk i dont think it sounds cold or sterile either...if anything i think the variety in arrangement ideas is impressive, quaye is a shockingly charismatic performer, and theres some good hooks too! at its best it rly captures a lot of ideal strengths from its melting pot of choice. still, even tho i like it a lot, i can see why its yet another record on this list that was maybe included a bit too hastily on the back of fleeting critical acclaim...Authenticity rly rly matters to ppl with this genre, and plenty of authentic acts already have some kind of pop culture presence, so this type of slightly compromising Bridging of styles was probably always unnecessary. beats the snot out of ub40 tho!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Only listened to 1 underwhelming song

2/5

2.5ish

I never heard this before (im a Yank) amd was quite pleasantly surprised. A lovely Sunday late morning spin.

There were some good songs on here. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Laid-back, reggae-tinged grooves built from smooth guitar skanks, relaxed bass lines, soft beats, and understated vocals move this Reaggie album like a hammock strung too low—pleasantly swaying at first, but so slack and uneventful that it quickly slips into plain boredom.

Uninteresting

It ain’t Bob Marley.

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

This was not Ultra Stimulating.

This did not make an impression on me despite really liking what reggae I have heard. I would rate this a 2 but for the production which is really good both in terms of muscianship and variety.

He has a good voice

2.5 - ok, liked the bass tone

Not bad but nothing special

I kinda liked it, digged the reggae vibes

I really have no idea why this was on here. Just dull reggae. I guess this was big in the UK in the 90s?

Different, but good.

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

I like african music, but this isn t very varied.

Scottish reggae, something new everyday. I Need a Lover is the most stand out only because it at least sounds different than everything else.

This is awful. Horrible. I hate this deeply. Why is it so reggae-y. Lowkey, reggae was only done well by one guy and Bob Marley this ain't. This sounds so repetitive and annoying the vocals are ass. It's truly just so awful.

I was off with this one. I usually listen to these when im out giving the dog a walk but my day was weird and I listened to this in the car, driving in the snow. So maybe its the new perspective but I didnt get anything out of this. Its not bad but its not good either. Its too in the middle. I like the reggae type vibes at least. Just none of the songs grabbed me. And thats kinda it. Just doesnt have anything for me. And thats it

Funky Scottish Reggae, who knew?

I like this album more than I thought I would. Good song writing and musicianship.

Vibes Vibes Vibes. This got me through a very rainy day!

Meh

Not for me. Did not finish.

I didn’t know there was such a thing as easy listening reggae

After each track, I kept bracing myself for the next one to be annoying or boring. That didn’t happen. This album had an unexpected amount of originality and was entertaining from beginning to end.

I thought, until I heard this album, that there was only so much that could be done with reggae; however this bluesy-reggae-rock album shows a lot of range. I was intrigued from start to finish.

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

This is possibly the least “essential” album I’ve encountered on this list. Schlocky, dull, generic, inauthentic, and almost sounds like a caricature of pop-reggae.

+ reageeeee + bardzo pozytywne + śliczne melodie + transik / vibe + super głos / akcent + nóżka chodziła - znowu momentami monotonne (może ja jestem monotonna po prostu?)

Not my thing at all

This is ok. I didn’t dislike listening to this record, but it didn’t really do anything for me either.

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

Even the Jamaican artists on this list are Scottish.

Such a disappointment. Not heard anything by this artist. Started with some promise but didn't go anywhere and you;d be better off with the simple mainstream style.

This album was fine. I could understand its reason for being on the list as I think it was interesting and almost feel like the inspiration for lots of 2000-2010 pop that had some reggae influences. I don’t think I’d listen again though.

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.

I like reggae and this was easy to listen to. But it's a fake reggae from some Scottish dude. I'd rate this as just an okay album, far from great. And I need a dose of hip-hop. I'm going to listen to Ice Cube and Eric B. & Rakim. 2/5 —————————————— Liked songs: — You Love Gets Sweeter

If you can tolerate his raspy nasal falsetto patois and unconvincing ganta-ism lyrics in a limited register, there are some interesting ideas and some good playing in the background. It's a pity he rarely changes chords which robs the songs of any dynamism.

Dull. Not sure why this is here.

Didn't enjoy it. Think I've come to the conclusion that I just don't like reggae that much. I'm sure some people love it. It's not my thing.

Laid back, sunny, and quietly soulful. Rating: 4.6/5 Short Review: This album blends reggae, trip hop, and pop into something warm and relaxed. It drifts in a pleasant way, like late afternoon light with a little melancholy underneath. Favorite Track: Sunday Shining. Easy, breezy, and instantly memorable.

Reggae, Calypso, cheesy. I didn't like it

Scottish reggae? Hmm Adds nothing interesting to the genre, except another whitewashing of a non-white genre. Does not deserve to be on here.

A decent tune or two, but really not my vibe

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.

I can tell this is good music, but it's not music I'm really into. So I'm listening and it's chill but not my vibe.

Great for a chilled summer day

Well that was weird

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

Rating: 3/10 Assigning my first 1. Completely unenjoyable to me

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

Is it Maverick or is it Iceman? 4 Marty doesn't like music out of 10 gizzards

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

I vaguely recalled the name Finley Quaye from my childhood in the 90s, but it was only “Your Love Gets Sweeter” that stirred some sort of recollection of his music. This was a nice, perfectly inoffensive album. Apart from “Your Love Gets Sweeter”, I liked “Sunday Shining” particularly. The rest of the tracks were serviceable, but didn’t stand out to me in any way. It’s probably more deserving of 2.5*, but it’s not quite a 3* for me.

Genuinely very surprised to see this on the list. There was a brief period of time in the UK in the 90s where is was impossible not to hear a Finley Quaye song whenever you listened to the radio (mostly Sunday Shining to be fair, as it was a massive hit). And then he almost completely disappeared from the radio and the charts. I had never listened to this album before. I thought I might like it, as I remember liking all the singles and I am pretty keen on reggae-tinged tracks in general. I actually found it dragged a bit, and I didn't like any album track as much as the singles (particularly Your Love Gets Sweeter). Just fine. 2/5 (because it can't be 2.5)

my "multipliers of 100" albums are really going on a bad streak. it peaked at the 100th which was run-dmc's raising hell and there's never one "multiples of 100" albums that are above a 4 appearing to me again. also as soon as we leave england into the three other countries of great britain, my judgement gets harsher... add in "world music" genres like reggae and my judgement gets far more harsher. we already have bob marley i mean. like, sometime i got really fed up by how a bunch of english boomers come together to compile the list. they need boomers, gen x, gen y and gen z people together to make the new version and also console rate your music, pitchfork, all time 1000 albums, aoty, fantano and famous music critics all over the world using a weighted average to compile the real 1001 best albums you must listen before you die. there's a madlad that is on this list, an essential american, get so fed up of the album that he thinks we must pave a new way and every album that nobody talked about in 25 years should get away from the list... wait a minute he's the same guy who gave kanye a bunch of 1s just because of his goddamn so fucking awful politics and instead unnessesarily glazes jewish artists using the space where people should rave about how runaway is the best kanye song of all time because he wasnt insane in the past and the song is good. ok social justice warrior. did you said that tmbg is too nerdy for you? i have no word to say to you. goodspeed, you person with no whimsy and finds no joy in life. The only thing I would agree with you is that this album is boring. 2/5

Didn’t care for this

Not for me

Nice Reggae

Reggae/rock/soul, def needs more listens

Reggae frå 90-talet

Welcome to another rendition of "you can definitely die without listening to this one".

Not bad, but not special.

New for me. First surprised (reggae from Edinburgh), then interested (Ultra Stimulation), and then sold (by Way Of The Explosive) and now looking to get it on vinyl. Produced by Kevin Bacon of Comsat Angels! 1. Ultra Stimulation 2. The Way Of The Explosive 3. Maverick A Strike (Funk reggae!)

It’s a pale, watered-down imitation of reggae, utterly uninspired and lacking any spark. I have no intention of listening to it again.

ehhhh. i liked the reggae vibe on this. there was some attempt at infusing it with somethign new but tbh i dont think it worked. and all of the songs sounded the same? idk man!

Here's an admittedly interesting story. Finley Quaye, a Scottish musician of half-Celtic and half-Ghanian heritage, grew up inspired by jazz musicians and The Ramones, struck his first successful hit as a feature on a song with electronic producer A Guy Called Gerald, and then, for his debut record here, employed a reggae sound that combined elements of trip hop and progressive soul. If that ain't a melting pot story, I don't know what is. Maverick a Strike truly does sound unique in the reggae pantheon, as Finley and co-producers Kevin Bacon and Jonathan Quamby utilized various stylistic changes while still maintaining that positive energy throughout. From the bright horns, slick guitar line, and thick drums on "Sunday Shining", to the more laid-back trip-hop cadence with reverbed guitar and delectable bass of "Even After All", to the shifting electronic rhythm section of "Ride On and Turn the People On", they had a lot of fun with experimenting on this record, and I certainly enjoyed Finley's optimistic lyrics and jovial vocal cadence along the way. Even when they go for a more traditional reggae composition on a song like "Your Love Gets Sweeter", it's still a pleasant listen. I just wish the pacing of the record didn't start to drag towards the end. Even though there is a good deal of experimentation with the reggae sound on this album, the overall tempo is slow, as is typical of the genre, and it feels even slower for the last five songs. Also, I admittedly felt creeped out by the penultimate track "I Need a Lover", as the spacious guitar textures and supple bass give way to Finley singing about touching this girl through a vocal filter. It's instrumentally serene, but these lyrics did not sit right with me. I was still pleasantly surprised by Maverick a Strike, as Finley Quaye proved to be a very unique individual in a tried-and-true genre that welcomed such innovations.

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

It's great to not hear just another white band and same genre

just not very good i fear

First off: Scottish Reggae with a fake Jamaican accent? What was Robert Dimery thinking? Second: It's a bad mixture of music genres. Reggae, Trip-hop, Funk, and Rap: those styles can go together ... just not on this album. I noticed that by the time we get to "I Need a Lover" Finley's fake Jamaican accent had faded, only to return on the final track. (This is a nice way of saying he's a rip-off artist.) Third: As a result of the above, I had trouble taking this seriously.

Album 985 of 1089 Maverick A Strike - Finley Quaye (1997) Rating : 2.5 / 5 This one lands squarely in the category of “perfectly fine while it’s on, but gone from memory the moment it stops.” The tracks are listenable enough - nothing grating, nothing offensive, nothing that made me want to reach for the skip button. But at the same time, nothing about Quaye’s voice, style, or songwriting really grabbed me or made me curious to dig deeper. It’s one of those albums that keeps everything at a steady mid-level without ever pushing into something memorable. A respectable effort, sure, but it didn’t leave any lasting impression. Just a straight-up “meh” listen for me today.

Nope.

Unique blend of reggae and other genres like jazz, hip hop, and rock. Quaye's vocals, while not strictly authentic, are pleasant and blend the many genres of this album together. The second half of the album is forgettable but the first half was surprisingly enjoyable and dynamic.

This wasn’t too bad, didn’t feel like it was anything special though.

No,

Weak tea. Also I was distracted by the title because Raul Malo died today and I just wanted to listen to the Mavericks.

your love gets sweeter

Decent for a Scot, haven’t heard of him before

A scottish person impersonating a jamaican person. As the scottish would say, this is rank!

Something felt off about this and then I found out the singer is pretending to be Jamaican. Which is weird. Some of the actual music is fine. But the performance is off putting. 2/5

3.5. Weird reggae type vibes.

I liked 5 of the tracks. But mostly because I was trying to be generous. This album is pretty canned, reggae-by-the-numbers. I'd never heard of this guy before today. And he'll probably just as quickly disappear even if I went out and purchased 5 of the tracks here (2, 3, 4, 6, 10). Not gonna break the bank. 2 stars (being generous).

I've seen this album cover before while flicking through my copy of the 1001 albums book - it's pretty eye-catching. Were I to take a crack at a genre prediction, I would venture to guess that this is something hardcore. I'm inclined towards screamo, though I think that genre came about in the 2000s. My next inclination is something Marilyn Manson-ey. What genre does he belong to? Industrial metal? What the fuuuuuuuuck? Reggae? This is the biggest curveball I've ever been served in the history of this list. Upon closer inspection of the album cover it also appears that Finley is not screaming intensely but instead has a joyous expression plastered across his mug. I've been mandela effected, there's no way. Whuh? Oh yeah, the album. I was fooling around with this yo-yo I found in my belongings while listening to this one. It's fun in a mindless sort of way. The axle kind of sucks, so I have to be precise with my technique so as to keep the yo-yo going. I should learn a trick or two sometime. I remember when I lost one of these things between the train tracks. My point is that this shit is BORING. How can the Britoids - the world's most ill-fated and lowly race - ever possibly give a damn about this album. It sets no mood and goes nowhere. I attribute the bore-inducing nature to Maverick a Strike to Quaye's vocals. They're characteristically reggae, though I do not think they sound good. There's some unique genreblending in the instrumentals, though they're overall pretty minimal and done in a way that frustrates me. "Even After All" has a nice, warm, rippling sound with the guitars. The bassy sound is a nice accompaniment, too. "Sweet and Loving Man" has kind of a reggae, funk, electronic, ska sound going for it, which is pretty interesting. The song is only okay, though I respect the ambition. Book time. Very Bob Marley-adjacent, though I don't know what that means. Quaye is apparently a controversial figure for adopting a sex, drugs and rock & roll lifestyle after achieving success with this album. Yeah, not convinced yet. Over to Wikipedia I go. Performed very well on the UK charts and had some successful singles. Yeah, snippy snip time. Fuuuuck, I hate doing thisss I'm running low on replacement albums. In place of this album, I humbly submit Katamari Fortissimo Damacy for inclusion on the list.

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

I’d never heard of Finley Quaye, and that would’ve been ok, I guess. This album is nowhere near essential. Most of the album is soulless, without emotion. When he sings “I Need a Lover,” you don’t believe it. (And you’d feel sorry for any would-be lover.) Also, it’s great to love reggae, but you don’t need to adopt a faux-Jamaican accent to sing it. “Sunday Shining” is nice. I can pass on everything else.

1. ultra - 1 2. together -1 3. zunday - 1 4. Even - 1.5 5. Ride - 1 6. Explosive - 1 7. Sweeter - 1.5 8. Supreme - 0 9. Man - 1.5 10. Red - 1 11. Falling - 1.5 12. Lover -1 13. Strike - 1.5

so this album went double platinum, is critically acclaimed, and even won Finley an award, but it still does not seem influential in the way I would expect. even if I am not fond of an album, I can at least appreciate the impact it has had on the industry, but I just do not see that here. maybe it was more of a breakthrough in the UK? maybe my stupid eastern european brain just cannot comprehend that. still, I would not say this album is worthy of being on this list this was kinda close to a 2 cuz the instrumental can be interesting. still, it lacks a lot, and if you are a nepo baby (a small one, but still), at least use your connections to make better music

At first, I wanted to criticize the album because of the vocals; they were really irritating at the beginning. But somehow, by the end of the album, I even got into it and, without realizing it, played it a second and third time.

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.

2.5

this too falls victim to my bad mood today

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

"Red Rolled and Seen" is a perfect song for a soundtrack. Not sure which soundtrack, but it is. I'm nearly always non-plussed by reggae, but this was a jam. The incorporatin of neo-soul, funk, rock, and other elements elevates this from so much of the same-i-ness I feel when I usually listen to a reggae record. Really fun record.

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.

Vind trip hop en reggae elementen altijd wel echt prettig samenwerken, en dus was ik in eerste instantie best een tevreden luisteraar. Maar halverwege was de sjeu er wel echt vanaf, en voelde het vooral aan als 'plastic reggae' zonder al te veel ziel. Maar geen verkeerde muziek voor tijdens werkzaamheden. 6/10 Highlights: Your Love Gets Sweeter

Tja, dit is gewoon een saai album. Niet slecht maar hier haal ik helemaal niks uit. 4/10

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"

Maybe just not for me. Grooved a little but the composition of much of the album seemed… overly complex for the sake of being complex I guess

We’ll start positively, I quite liked Sunday Shining. On the downside the rest of this album was painfully dull. I actually accidentally set the album on repeat and didn’t notice until Sunday Shining came on again. It was all just very samey. Sweet And Loving Man in particular I couldn’t stand as every time he sang the title of the song there was a buzzing sound exactly like in the intro of Cocomelon. Kids used to love it and I have an everlasting hatred of it. Top Track - Sunday Shining

Familiar with Sunday Shining, but not really my thing.

ниче так, рэгги трип-хопчик

What a tosser. Shit album, too.

Solid album. Just disagree on having to hear it before I die. Doesn’t seem massively influential.

This was Ultra Stimulation.

There are some songs on this that are fine, but I just can’t get past the put on accents and the fact that he spent the vast majority of his time after this record getting into scrapes all over the shop.

If you are going to be influenced by a Scottish band, don’t make it UB40.

Sounds like reggae made for middle class white people who wear their the thifted tie-dyed harem pants and Birkenstock sandals just to prove how culturally diverse they are. Truth is, this just seemed to have sucked the soul out of the genre. Odd, because I suspect the enduring mass appeal of it was probably a shock to Quaye himself, but cannot see this as being deserving to be on this list whatsoever.

125 Pucha, se me ocurrió leer los reviews. Igual me gusta el reggae diluido 90ero de escocia, en el sentido de que no todas las canciones eran mega iguales, pero al final pensé que el disco había terminado como 3 veces.

Y'know, it's not even like this album starts off too badly. The first couple of tracks? Yeah, I was kinda digging them. Sure, it's not reggae on the level of, say, to name an obvious name, Bob Marley — but what could? Even the one song with a Bob Marley writing credit couldn't hope to. Besides, it's not like I have high expectations for reggae, anyway. I'm the kind of person who enjoys "Rude" by MAGIC! and "Informer" by Snow; my standards can't be any lower. As long as it has that kind of reggae groove, I'm more than happy — and this album has it. In its first four tracks, anyway. Once we get past them, trouble starts to set in. There starts to be some deviation, and other influences incorporated — and that's not bad! A little variety and experimentation can't hurt, as long as it's done well! And this stuff ... hoo boy. I mean — I don't know. I wanna tell you more about how the album played from this point on, but if I'm completely honest, I was too busy tryna keep it from making my ass fall asleep to really concentrate on the actual music itself. Seriously, at a point (and it's a **sudden** point) this album gets **really boring**. The sleepy kind of boring, at that. I honestly could have used to nod off for the night: that's how uninteresting it suddenly gets. Jus', whatever it was doing in the first stretch that managed to engage me so much, this album completely drops. It loses me and it's never able to grab on to me again. And, y'know, other such ways of saying that I found it **completely dull**. Y'know what this is, to me, honestly? Imitation brand reggae. Oh, sure, it looks like reggae — and maybe if you're desperate for the real stuff this might do in a pinch. But when you know what the **real** stuff tastes like, this bland-ass shit, with its bland instrumentals and way-too-present voice, could never compare. Seriously: cod reggae is realer reggae than the shit this guy made. And how in the world do you lose a "reggae realness" competition to a bunch of Canadians? If "Informer" of all things clears you... And, yeah, that's really all I hafta say about that. This album is just hopelessly dull. There is so much better reggae out there (including acts like Toot & The Maytalls, who, last I heard, weren't even **on** this list), and this can't even begin to compare. I can't begin to imagine why this got a spot here, if I'm being completely honest. It's not even like it's that bad; it has its spots early on, certainly. It's jus', like ... I'unno. I ain't got nuthin' else. I jus' needa go listen to 'Exodus' again or something else before I **completely** nod off.

Didn't expect a Scot doing reggae to sound this nice, but color me surprised. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 2. It’s just boring. That’s the TL;DR: it’s really, really fucking boring. Instrumentally, it’s not bad, and there’s generally a decent energy that comes through on a number of the tracks that keeps this thing at least generously listenable. The attempts at blending in some extra genres onto a reggae base are alright at best & sort of an overproduced flop at worst. There are some egregiously boring tracks here though; a lot of the back half of the album suffers from incessantly plain instrumentals with no sense of progression whatsoever, or an utterly plain lead melody that’s not memorable in the slightest. The back half is the worst half, but at least the front half of the album is trying to do something fun, and generally, it works well to the ears, even if it slightly falls apart under any kind of real analysis. Finley Quaye, in addition to singing here, produced this album himself, and I’ll give him some credit for keeping it together. This is a Scottish man, whose dad was born in London, and his great-grandfather was born in Ghana. This is… Jamaican reggae music. I’m not saying there’s not any overlap here between musical styles, because there almost certainly is, but the link in terms of familial influence feels more like a tribute act for the hell of it than one with any kind of deeper roots. His vocals are fine; slightly melodic at best, often passably “too present” in ways that take attention away / overshadow some of the instrumentals, and downright incomprehensibly babbly at worst. His presence is sort of felt, but ultimately, I found it to be distracting more than anything, and that’s because of this album’s real biggest sin. I have absolutely no idea what the fuck he’s saying. Lyrically, Finley Quaye is no Bob Marley, and as such, the vast majority of lines here feel unfinished, they feel yappy, and as a whole, none of these tracks come across as feeling complete. The only shining grace here is the lovely “Your Love Gets Sweeter”, which has such a positive & bright vibe in its actually structured lyrics, that I can sort of look past the mediocre instrumental to give it some praise as the track I enjoyed the most. Beyond that, though… boy, some of these make not a goddamn lick of sense. I can’t even really go back and tell you which ones, because I found myself baffled half the time to even wager a guess. It’s very easy to hear though. Going off of Spotify plays, I guess people like “Even After All”, and that track seems like… I dunno, apologizing for soldiers being murderers and loving them regardless, or something? I couldn’t parse it, and I somehow parsed most of “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”. Maybe it’s a UK thing. I don’t think it’s a terrible album, just one that’s so utterly mediocre that it comes across as deeply boring – I do think there are bad tracks, but nothing that brings outright rage because it totally sucks or anything, just purely underwhelming energy, or a lack of care that makes me not want to care. I think it has maybe the most boring track we’ve gotten throughout the 1001 so far, which is the 4-minute drum loop that is “Red Rolled and Seen”, a track that truly, truly goes nowhere for its entire runtime. Even “Haute de gamme” at least bothered to put a lead melody on its dogshit tracks. Ultimately, the early instrumental energy, the enjoyable “Your Love Gets Sweeter”, and the earnest effort put into a lot of this album to at least present itself as a passable attempt to refresh reggae music for the late ‘90s, all get this the saving grace of a 2. I truly don’t think it actually gets as low as a 1 (save for “Red Rolled and Seen”), and maybe the ceiling here is a 3 if some of these tracks ever click a little better in the future, though I don’t see myself coming back to this album anytime soon. For now though, it’s 51 minutes (too long) that leaves me unimpressed, but at least in a way where I can tell they tried. It’s a 2. No more “Quaye”s on the list, thankfully. Between this & “Maxinquaye”, I can’t say they’ve been lucky.

Reggae, very whatever. Not unpleasant

Never heard of it, thought it was perfectly fine

great scott! (this guy is from scotland)

Aside from a couple fun moments I was pretty bored throughout this listen, but I don’t reckon I’m a qualified judge of Scottish reggae

I think the only people who listen to this are users of this website.

I consider myself a reggae guy. But this didn’t do much for me

Fine. Not my thing. Felt long

Electronica and Reggae are an interesting combination. That said, that's about the only thing I found interesting or enticing about this album. It just faded into the background, never once really grabbing me.

This style just ain’t for me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it (maybe? Idk). I just didn’t like it.

Not for me.

I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this album. It just doesn't work for me, for some reason. This is still one of my first albums, so I know that this page is going to say that I hate reggae for a long time (which is not true). But this is the first on the list that I actively disliked.

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

This is a pretty groovin fusion of reggae and soul! I like it more with each listen and would give more of his albums a listen.

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

This guy has been a real problem child throughout his life, sheesh. Which is hard to imagine coming from the person making this music. His anger and addiction issues aside, I really enjoyed this. It had a real brightness to it and made me feel good and groovy. Sunday Shining especially shines!

5, merveilleux je m'éleve

Got bored

2.5. Boring and lame but not awful.

It’s uncomfortable to declare cultural appropriation on someone of another culture who’s appropriating a third culture. A Ghanaian Scot making pop-adjacent Reggae (with a fake Jamaican accent?) is a British colonial fever dream I didn’t have on my bingo card. I appreciate that this album sold well in the UK in the 90s, but it didn’t make a splash in America. In fact, if you exclude Ska, I don’t recall Reggae as a genre having a meaningful moment in America in the 90s. I understand America isn’t the center of the universe, but I’m trying to suggest that this was a very regional success that didn’t have any impact on the broader music industry. Putting it on this list is like me finding my copy of Sugar Ray’s hit 1997 record “Floored” in my CD case and deciding the whole world needs to listen to it because I remember liking it when I was 11. Or insisting that this list include an album by The Urge because they were huge in my city in the 90/00s. For the most part, this is a nice, relaxing, ‘feel good’ record but it doesn’t make a lasting impression (except for the cultural appropriation). It should be firmly below the cut line for the next list update.

# Playlist Track - Sunday Shining # Notes - Album starts alright! I dared to be optimistic about what was coming. Reggae is not my cup of tea, but maybe I'd get a few nice tracks out of it. - I was wrong. After the third track, it all gets super repetitive and uninspiring, with the tail end of the album being *bad*, including the title track.

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

Reggae mixed with other genres. Listenable on a drive.

i kinda liked the last track but the rest sucked

I liked this a lot.

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.

This was alright. I tend to like reggae with nice smooth beats. I feel like the lyrics throw me off a bit is why it doesn’t have the same feel. Still nice though.

Whyyyy?

It's like Reggae light. I'm not sure what this guy was going for but, whatever it is, it's not for me.

Bordering on a 1

I guess that was “innovating” reggae but I don’t like its innovations. Way too squawky and boring.

3.5

Okay

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

The 90s had the worst music

Feel like I’ve had a few of these lately but feels fairly middle of the road, no strong feelings either way. A sort of odd mix of songs with a reggae ish vibe at times but not quite so. Do I have to listen to this before I die? Not sure on that one.

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.

A couple of half-decent songs near the start, but nothing special. Then any goodwill from a cover song was soon squandered by the rest of the album. By the end, I was extremely glad to see the back of this, and even gladder that I'll never have to listen to it again. One star.

I have found the inclusion of those non-name English bands to be a series of terrible artists with bad music. Interestingly, the exception has generally been in the R&B and rap categories, where there has been some excellent stuff like Michael Kiwanuka and Tricky. Unfortunately, this fell into the former camp. It was just awful. Very derivative and unoriginal, with lyrics that were incredibly subpar.

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.

ok gets boring fast

Why is he in a microwave?

Super album, if anything sounds better now than it did when it came out.

Meh, it's fine. There's nothing groundbreaking about this besides the fact that it's a pastiche of rock, soul, reggae, etc. It's middle of the road like roadkill--flat and unmoving.

I think if 2 or 3 of these tracks were left off the album it would have been 5 stars for me. Always happy when I listen to a British album and don't find myself constantly thinking this album shouldn't be included on this list.

On seeing this pop up, I was thinking, from memory, that music wasn't in a particularly exciting place in 1997, but then I googled Best Albums of 1997 and in fact, there were some pretty good ones - OK Computer, The Fat of the Land, Dig Your Own Hole, The Boatman's Call, The Colour and the Shape, Homework, etc etc - not all personally to my taste, but all interesting and still notable. I remembered the name Finley Quaye, but didn't remember any of his songs. On listening, I'm underwhelmed, I'm afraid. Sunday Shining had a really nice feel to it, but it wasn't a compelling album overall. I didn't hate the chilled sort of dub bass or overall vibe, but I did read one review pointing out that he wasn't Jamaican and it lacked authenticity, which bothered me, and on side two, more tracks were boring than not. I guess I'm left thinking it was an okay-sounding album overall, but I can't think I'll have a reason to seek it out again.

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

2/5 Not a great album, waters down a lot of what is going on at the time into palatable hits, boring. At times I get glimpses of something, but it just makes me want to listen to an Asian dub foundation album. I will give this one another listen at some point, but only because it sold much better than it should, and clearly tapped into something. Will revisit once I’ve listened to some more of the contemporaries, but for now this is a no go for me.

I don’t see what this album offers which qualifies it to be on the list.

reggae poser…

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.

Interesting, diverse. Tons of different vibes going on, I appreciate it.

Funky

Du reggae ? Non.

plesantly surprised a nice mix of reggae and british soul.

Reggae gonna reggae. 2.5/5

Unfortunately I despise reggae music :(

Enjoyable listen, though not quite my cup of tea.