Reviews (page 4 of 7)
Dude’s vocal style is the lovechild of Ben Harper and Tones & I. It took me a while to get into it, I was even considering giving it a 2/5, but something finally struck me when I got to Sweet and Loving Man, followed by Red Rolled and Seen. Both decent tunes which pushed it up to a 3, albeit a low 3.
Listened a while ago and regret not writing a review in the moment. Remember kinda liking it though.
I don’t know that I’d classify this in best albums but I enjoyed it
Feels like an attempt to bring reggae into the 21st century and it largely works (crisp snare alongside steel drums and rock guitar riffs with distinctly reggae vocals). Occasionally certain elements combine in a way that holds back the whole track (on Even After All, the vocals muddle the grooviness of the track), but overall I think the album succeeds in moving the genre forward.
This is a vibe
This is a banger! Production is amazing and some really catchy songs!
En olisi kyllä uskonut että diggailen näin uutta reggaeta, mutta niin se vaan tipahti aika kivasti! 3/5
Kylhän tääkin taustalla menee letkeästi
Interesting take on reggae music.
This was totally fine, professional, pleasant, and inoffensive. But I did absolutely not need to hear this before dying. 3/5
Es como reggae. No está mal. Pero es un poco rollo al final.
Not bad
I listened to this on a nice day in early Summer, and it fits that mood perfectly. It wasn't 'stand out' fantastic, but it had a few very good tracks and plenty of (imo) filler. I think 3 stars is about right.
Reggae and dub are not genres that I have a great ear for (my experiences are limited to Marley and Fishmans), but I enjoyed this. I liked the influence of 90s sound palettes and how full the instrumentation felt throughout. Some tracks felt very same-y and blended together, but this is an album I could imagine myself putting on in the background while I clean my room or cook. Not bad.
Reggae Album mit guten instrumentals die Teils vom Gesang zurückgehalten werden. Trotzdem einige Highlights wie Sunday Shining. 3+
This has its moments. Red Rolled and Seen stood out to me. His voice annoyed me a little, though. Overall, I thought this was solid dub, but nothing remarkable.
Right, I’ve heard of this person, but I don’t know what kind of music he made. Ah, a nice bit of reggae. No - trip hop. No - rock…? Ok, it’s mostly reggae. A bit all over the place in terms of both style and quality, but kind of interesting because of it. There are some real bops in the first half of the album.
Basic reggae
Wow, color me surprised. Read the bio before listening and was not expecting Reggae from a gent born in Scotland.
what would you call this? reggae lite? it seems like its almost there but not quite. not a bad thing any any means, its a little hard to pin down on in my brain. it gets a little psychadelic in some spots and kinda drags. overall not bad! I'd definitely try another album by this artist.
Ok Reggae
Some chilled reggae-in-the-90s vibes. I remember liking some of these once upon a long ago.
Interesting mix of reggae and jazz. I'd listen again.
Some people are judging this record by what the guy looks like or where he was born. I don't care about any of that -- I'm just listening to it. I can't say I love it, but I am finding it enjoyable; it sounds like driving around on a sunny Saturday.
Solid album
2024-04-10...
Oh, lekker zweverig. Reggae. Ik vind dit wel een verrassend leuk en gevarieerd album. Lekker man. ***
I'm trying to get over Finley's likenesses in sound to Bob Marley. Because it truly just makes me want to cut the album off and listen to Bob Marley instead . The main difference is in the band. Notably less catchy hooks but more genre adventurous.
Very cool album, Finley's voice is great and the dub / raggae beats are infectious and immediately engaging. 3.5 stars
3.5
I liked Finlay Quaye, and would still often play "Even After All" in my chillout playlist. As an album, the songs aren't bad, but they kinda morph into each other with uncanny similarity, and a "DeLaSoul The Magic Number" baseline variation throughout most of the tracks.
Not bad, but it’s a melange of styles (dub, blues, soul, et al) that I don’t really get into.
Didn't recognize the name, but found I knew a couple of these songs. Thought the first half was nice and chill, but the second half nearly put me to sleep in the middle of the day. Not sure if that was the intention!
Had only vaguely heard of Finley before this, which is probably about right. Ultra Stimulation was OK
Soft reggae. Was surprised that description says this is Scottish 2/3***, it was good but none stood out. Giving 3 because I’d listen again
This album ended and I said aloud "Oh is that it?" I was so sure it was going to be dragging on for another three or so tracks, and I had completely tuned out from it at that point that it was the most surprising thing of the whole listen. The album is... fine? Its extremely safe, never venturing far from its obvious inspirations and stylings, save for a reversed guitar that feels tacky here more than anything, but its inoffensive. It can be okay background music, and as I said, despite rocking far too long of a runtime, it actually breezed by pretty quickly. Otherwise, there isn't much to say, and you can get better dub experiences elsewhere.
Skön reagge-ish
Was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Reggae isn't really a style I enjoy, but this really broadened my horizons. Very trippy in a fun way.
Alright
Levyltä löytyi vähän kaikkea regestä vaihtoehto rockiin. Ei oikein ajatus ollut mukana ja yhdellä soittokerralla arvostellaan, muistaakseni parempi kuin kakkonen. Pitää ehkä joskus vielä kuunnella uudelleen ja katsoa kuinka pahasti metsään meni arvostelu.
I really enjoyed Sunday Shining and Supreme I Preme. In general it was just ok. Nice background music
This was everywhere in the UK in the late 90s and in isolation the singles are great, but an album of this makes me consider the affected Caribbean accent from a Scot! It's got an interesting mixture of some trip-hop, acid jazz and ska. Ok, but too much altogether for a dozen or so songs.
Liking this one
just a vibey reggae album. made me feel like it was a sunday afternoon in late summer 6/10
This album ... Uh ... ye-it's okay - 6/10
Listening on the bus is impossible because I cannot stay awake for more than 2 songs, might impact how I feel ab the album… feel like it’s not bad but don’t know if I’d listen again 5/10
I liked the consistency throughout the album… it made it feel confident. In general I like reggae, but the production on this album sounded kinda muddled which I didn’t dig. 6/10
Nothing really to note, it was fine 5/10
Not bad, but pretty long and nothing really stood out. I’m sure they could’ve found a better reggae album than this for the list. 5/10
Cover Impressions: no clue. Black eye or sunglasses? The left side does look very bright so maybe the latter. Sunglasses give me a bluesy soul vibe. You could have given me a million guesses and I don't know if Scottish reggae would have been my guess for this artist. However, the Scottish part really doesn't show here unless that is the characteristic of the voice that is a bit odd to me. All I can think to describe it is a Chris Tucker like sound a la Ruby Rhod. Just earlier this week I had a Bob Marley album and I think this one is a bit more vibrant and dynamic. Overall not bad, just not my cup of tea. Favorite track: "Sunday shining" 2.5/5
Too mellow. Not amazing.
Sure but probably not again
Never heard of the guy before, guess this album didn't have the cultural staying power of albums of 1997. With that being said, it wasn't bad album! Sounds nice and smooth, as I was listening my main thought is that it was 'Lounge Reggae'. Not groundbreaking but nice enough to listen to
Overall mid… reggae with a bit of late 90s Trip hop Tricky influences. Some of the more trip hop style songs are pretty good but some are basically Bob Marley impersonation. I wouldn’t mind if this was playing but wouldn’t go out of my way to listen again
Kind of monotone ... like his voice tough
Great singles but a lot more filler than I remember. Worth three stars for "Even After All" though.
Nothing here I couldn’t get from listening to Bob Marley. Meh.
Interesting combination of Reggae and rock
Sounded oddly familiar.
Good music
I am not a huge fan, but songs are bangers
Nah, this has not stood the test of time. It’s all a bit bland for me. I know he has lost his way. I hope he finds it again
Not as painful as I expected it to be based on my assumptions of track 1. Actually turned into a kind of psychedelic/jungle/dnb production for a bit which I enjoyed
Apparently Pitchfork gave this a 9/10 or something like that. I think for reggae it's not bad for the 90's this is sorely behind the times. Just not enough interesting ideas to justify the runtime. That being said, the execution was not bad at all. There are some genuinely pretty good aspects to this album that makes me wonder if there's a better album buried underneath all of the middling stuff.
Catchy and capable, well played and composed. A little bit emotionally cool, which feels typical of pop from the late 90s to my recollection of the time. Good, not great.
3.5
Good reggae album, not the best but still pretty good Top tracks: Sunday Shining, Supreme I Preme
3.5 - I’m not a big reggae fan honestly but this album surprised me and didn’t hate it.
Quite a strange one, happy to have been exposed to it though I mostly found it quite bland background reggae. Fave Tracks: Even After All, Supreme I Preme 2.6/5
3.2
Decent Reggae, nothing to write home about in my humble opinion, mon.
Has some good moments
When it’s good it’s phenomenal Sunday Shining and Your Love Gets Sweeter are all timers But there’s a lot of noodling around them
Relaxing dancehall album. Enjoyed the opportunity to give something new a listen, as this is a genre I don't typically listen to. Enjoyed the laidback grooves, though the lyrics never really connected. Solid 3/5.
Surprisingly not so bad for Scottish Reggae. It is not a life changing album neither performance but it does mix well Reggae and Rock. I just can not stop thinking how hilarious he has to look while doing this accent since I can hardly believe this is how he sounds with his speaking voice. 3.5/5
Es como reggae. No está mal. Pero es un poco rollo al final.
Un po' reggae, un po' piacevolmente altro
I like reggae and this was a relatively unexceptional album. Sounds like Filey Quaye is pretty much just a normal guy doing music which is cool. Not much to say about this album but I’ll give it three stars.
I feel like I would describe it as soft reggae. Its genre-less music with reggae influences. I liked it but it didn't scratch the reggae itch. 3 stars
Hmmmm it was ok
a general bop 7/10
Better than expected, still very mid
Essential Tracks: Supreme I Pre-me (Playlist) It’s Great When We’re Together Your Love Gets Sweeter
Lowkey R&B vibes with some reggaeton-esque moments. A little bit indie alt. 3.5
There were a few standouts on the record. The record is very mid/late 90s underground vibe which was fun.
"reggae". Pas mauvais, bruit de fond. Rien qui ressort du lot. type de reggae que je n'ai jamais entendu. très mélangé, pas rasta mode 5/10
This album is another one of those mysteries where I can't figure out while listening it it what makes it significant, and Wikipedia is no help either. It's not a bad album, and I actually enjoy the combination of reggae and electronica. However, besides this possibly being the first popular album to blend those two genres, it's hard to see why this album belongs here. I will say that the album is well produced. I get a bit sick of his voice sometimes, since it often feels like he's talking without saying anything. The music is cool, though and the electronic portions have aged pretty well, which is not always true for music from this era 3/5
It's good but Finley doesn't have a distinct sound Otherwise this would score much higher
Not a fan of the reggae, but this was fairly inoffensive.
Great album. I really enjoyed this album. I would rate it higher if it was released around early 80s
Pleasant
Good music for wandering around and relaxing.
I cycled through a number of reactions to this as I listened. I got a chuckle from the first song being about dancing, and the second song invoking images about the weather, and then the third song combined dancing and the weather and I was a little worried he was already out of ideas. But I appreciated Quaye's optimism and wanting to be the guy who brought the sunshine to the parade, so thanks for that. And there were moments where I really enjoyed the coalescence of reggae vibe and pure-sounding drums and bass and lyrical free association — "Ride On and Turn the People On" was probably my fave. Quaye has a strong, clear voice and the production throughout was really good. Still, at the end, I couldn't say I thought it was a great album. There were lots of highs, though I wondered why the noodly tracks were included at the end, they dragged the album down. So, I feel like I've rated a number of recent albums higher than I "liked" them, and here's one that might go the opposite way. I liked this well enough, but I wouldn't say it's a great album, on the whole.
Listenable. Just not my thing.
It's a bit odd listening to reggae with the instrumentation of late 90s alt rock
Better than I expected
Some songs are good, some are just Ok. I read a lot of reviews blaming him for not playing real enough reggae. The Rolling Stones were not playing real enough blues and people worship them anyway. This record is obviously not pure Jamaican reggae. It also has big beat and trip hop influences. And that’s fine. Favorite song: sunday shining
It was alright. Didn’t love his voice. 3 stars.
It’s “alright”. Not my scene though.
Enjoyed more than expected
какая-то смесь блэкмиди( в плане театральности) рэгги иии каких-нибудь африканских мотивов
I enjoyed this album. Really felt its influence on The Streets, especially on the Ride On and Turn the People On. Love that storytelling vibe.
6/10. Acceptable, sometimes pretty pleasant
Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: Yes! It was refreshing and packed with hits from start to finish. Exactly what I’d want from a soul record Favourite song: Track 8 - Supreme I Preme
Striking voice, some good grooves. Definitely worth a relisten 7/10
A few bops throughout, and the overall style I do enjoy as well but it just runs dry by the end of the album. 5/10
Skottlands svar på Papa Dee. Från ljum svärmorsreggae till rätt skönt dub-gung. Väldigt svag trea.
There’s nothing bad about this album. There’s nothing that great either. The lyrics lack depth, but not every album should be deep. I’m not a reggae connoisseur, so maybe this broke major ground, but I don’t connect with it.
this feels different from the reggae we’ve had before in that it’s boring. totally fine album, but not very interesting
Listenable! Unobjectionable! Some of its, dare I say, nice, even!
The singer reminds me of CeeLo Green. But with a bit of an accent. Unfortunately, it makes some of the songs kinda annoying, like "Ride On and Turn The People On". My question is why this album is one I _HAD_ to listen to before I die? It doesn't seem that overly impressive to me...?
Meh. Positive, happy vibe so definitely put this on when you need a pick me up or want to promote feeling good. But it didn't really wow me. First half better than the second half, which dragged a bit. Not surprising that the 5 singles come from the first 7 songs. Perfectly average and decent.
This was unique British pop but caught my ear a few times.
Soul. Bastante bien.
Nothing in the melange fails, and as a 'cross-the-pond mix the first half is eminently boppable. On the B-side, a switch to safer downtempo suggests no more ideas, but the song structures don't get phoned in.
This is his first album and widely considered his best. A blend of Reggae and Progressive Soul/Rock. Third listen: first two I gave it a 3 and a 2.5. He is from Edinburgh, Scotland Singles: --------------------------------------- Sunday Shining (#16 UK, #26 US Alt) Even After All (#10 UK) It's Great When We're Together (#27, UK) Your Love Gets Sweeter (#16, UK) Ultra Stimulation (#51 UK) Standouts: Even After All, It's Great When We're Together, Your Love Gets Sweeter, Ultra Stimulation Rating: 3.5/5
Eh idk sku kunna få en två tbh
It’s always interesting to check in on an artist who created one of 1001 albums to hear before we die, then vanished from public consciousness. Finley Quaye must have been doing something right with this 1997 album, but I had no idea where he’s been since. Turns out, he’s been throwing road signs through bus windows, doing community service for aggravated assault, and being declared bankrupt. What a legacy. Twenty-odd years ago, he was in a brighter spot, and much better placed to make the most of his family connections (dad was a Ghanaian jazz singer and pianist, brother was a guitarist for Paul McCartney and Elton John, among others). The result? This mixed bag of an album from the tail end of trip-hop’s stronghold over alternative music. Quaye crafts a beguiling, likeable album capitalising on the trends of the era, with prominent dub and reggae influences masking his Scottish upbringing. This blend of styles often works to great effect, as in the sublime calm of “It’s Great When We’re Together”. Distinctive dub bassline, fairly minimal instrumentation, soaring vocal, simple progression: it’s a hit. “Your Love Gets Sweeter” is another top pick: a simple, shuffling island breeze, benefiting from being one of the most stripped back tracks here, with the simplest of melodies. Later, “Ride On and Turn the People On” and “Supreme I Preme” bring a nice energy to proceedings. The record does somewhat run out of steam in the second half, with Quaye beginning to retread the same ground in such a short space of time. The extended instrumentals like “Red Rolled and Seen” doesn’t bring a great deal to the table, and in the filler tracks “Falling” and “I Need a Lover” he seems to have lost any sense of passion from the performance. “Maverick a Strike” ends up feeling like a summer’s day: enjoyable and a pleasant stretch of time, but ephemeral, ten-a-penny. It’s a nice listen but doesn’t feel indispensable, or even essential.
His lazy, half-assed attempt at sounding reggae is distracting.I can’t tell if it works, but I’m leaning towards absolutely not. Same song the whole album, minimal range. Enjoyable, but not for almost an hour. 3/5
Très Chill et Smooth. J'ai aimé l'écoute et aussi le résultats de l'algorithme après. 3.75
Reggae pop ideal per una tarda de chill-out a l'aire lliure. Però ni el nou Bob Marley ni la joia del génere que es va vendre a la seva época
It’s ok.
I didn't mind this but it was also kind of forgettable. I would call this pop reggae-lite. It seemed like the type of thing that would be playing in a hotel lobby somewhere warm.
This is a perfect example of why I wanted to start this project. I had never heard of this artist before, nor the album of course, so it was fun listening to one where I went into it without any preconceived notions. That said, this album started out strong, but I grew pretty tired of it by the end. Even After All is a great song, and a high point for sure, but everything after that feels like diminishing returns. The combination of reggae and trip-hop is one I want to explore more, and this album delivered on some of that, but I was constantly wanting more from it the further I got into it. I think my main hang up is the vocals, which feature a Scottish born singer doing his best Jamaican impersonation. Sometimes it’s fine, but there’s points on the album where he drops it entirely and those feel like his best moments. The UK has a long history with Reggae, so it’s unsurprising to hear an artist so inspired by that sound, but it is surprising to see one adopt the accent along with it. I’m sure there’s plenty of examples of this happening, but I know of plenty that avoided that and still made great music (The Clash for starters). So in short, there’s some good stuff here, but maybe not enough to revisit.
Es como reggae. No está mal. Pero es un poco rollo al final.
Good, but not standout.
There are some good tunes in here with some good grooves, little long, and the artist is insane but sticking with the music here
Perfectly passable as a reggae album. It's a little weird that he's a Scottish person of Ghanaian descent doing a Jamaican impression. Feels like he's trying to get away with something. Which would be fine if it were great, but it's just okay. Top track by a country mile is Ride On and Turn the People On
Interesting effort. I liked it but didn’t really love it.
Liked this at the time might have even seen him live? However went off the boil rather quickly only a cpuple of tunes there.
First 4 tracks were great, then "Ride On and Turn the People On" kinda killed the vibe. Picked up again with "Your Love Gets Sweeter", but then fizzled out for me. 2.5
I’m not really into Raggae. I’ve tried to get into what Quaye is saying here and to a certain extent I loved that. Musically is interesting enough if not altogether somewhat samesy. A decent listen for sure.
Pretty good if you ignore a few bad songs like "I Need a Lover"
Good but I don't like it enough to buy the CD.
Reggae (with other genres mixed in) updated for the 90s. Like everyone who lived through that era, I've heard the catchy hit "Sunday Shining" (now I know it's not "Sun is Shining"). Finley Quaye seems like a bit of a one-hit wonder. The music is fine but the rhymes are sometimes stilted and occasionally make little sense ("I'm a hero like Robert de Niro" - um, de Niro usually plays a criminal.)
Decent 3rd (4th?) wave reggae with some infectious hooks
One of those 90s album covers that is super familiar even though I never owned it. Turns out it's packed with familiar singles too. Surely his voice is cultural appropriation? I'm not sure specifically why this is on the list.
Chill
Great songs, great music - just feel good vibes
Best Song: It's Great When We're Together. The chorus here is excellent, and repeated in an almost mantra-like fashion to great effect. Worst Song: Supreme I Preme. Too sleepy for me. Overall: Pleasantly chill background music that I can definitely see myself throwing on in while cooking or reading. For someone who typically doesn't like this genre of music, I found it pretty compelling.
Listened to this on a cold, dark November Monday morning so it wasn’t exactly the best setting for a reggae album. Nothing too memorable but nothing bad either, chill enough, good voice, good vibes. 3 stars
Eh
At the time I really like this and although I get and agree the comments about the wannabe Jamaica gangsta pose are a put off there's still a few great tracks on here. The style is pretty light and breezy and easy to listen to. Not really Reggae but a smorgasbord of things he's thrown in there.
Well, this is coffee shop reggae in my opinion. Inoffensive, and a little lackluster at parts, but overall ok.
This is a great record. Definitely has its faults (not least the questions around Quayle’s authenticity in assuming the role of reggae vocalist), but there’s some great tracks on here and the production is stellar. The real dilemma I was pondering centred around this album’s place on a list of 1001 records to hear before you die. And ultimately, while I accept arguments to the contrary, it’s a great representation of the direction of traffic for the genre towards the late 90s, incorporating rock and trip hop sounds to make something pretty unique. The latter half is a bit forgettable, but overall I enjoyed this record.
Decent chill reggae-esque sound. A fun bop but beyond that that’s about it.
Funkade bra, hehe funk
Not bad
Didn't hate it but its a one and done for me.
3-
Overall enjoyable, sans plus
Yea not bad
I liked this more than I expected to
Easy to listen to on a nice summers day, with good beats and vibes. Personally the album as a whole doesn’t grab me but absolutely love the standout track Sun is shining, which bumps the album up to 3 stars
Wasn't bad, but I couldn't get over the Scotsman trying to sound Jamaican.
Interesting to see him hailing from Scotland, but the album’s songs fail to leave an impression. I personally prefer the more grassroots reggae from the 70s.
Reggae from Scotland, not a combination I would have ever expected. But regardless of that novelty, it was a fairly decent album
Норм, не запомнилось
Listened Before? N Unique without being art-rock? Check. An eclectic sound? Check. A singer that has a good voice? Check. I really liked this one. It's kind of forgettable overall, just because there's no pure bangers here, but very listenable. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist: Supreme I Preme
I thought it was fine. I liked the back half more than the front
Kinda unusual reggae/soul something
Nice Debut from this gifted singer and composer. I love "Even After All" & "Your Love Gets Sweeter" Shame this seems to be the highlight of his career, I know that he was touted by the stars for big things. Wonder what happened Finlay? I understand he has fallen on hard times. Not sure if this merits inclusion on this list though?
Alright
Not really my style but versatile and interesting. 6.5/10 Fave: Sunday shining
Het helpt ook echt dat de Sun is Shining
Het is allemaal wel braaf en de veilige weg, maar heb toch wel aardige dingen gehoord.
Leuk. Al kan ik me voorstellen dat je er op een slecht moment laaiend van kunt worden.
first listen great vibes and atmosphere, but not enough variety for me
I'd meant to listen to this album for about 20 years and when I finally did, about 4 months prior to getting it pop up on this list, I was so disappointed to hear it wasn't some kinda killer rock album but just some sunshine-y positive vibes mon kinda reggae thang.
Surprisingly ok reggae
Interesting but more like an album of demo
Good combination of genres( reggae and pop) but the songs are just mid in my opinion. Also the dudes Scottish not Jamaican lol
Odd thing, grew on me a bit
The wheels really fell off this one. I started off enjoying it and then suddenly it was just waffling on with no discernable melodies.
Another new artist for me. When the album started with a reggae style, I was not very optimistic. However, I really got into the sound and was groovin' right along. Then about halfway through the album, it lost my attention...and never regained it.
My younger sister was into reggae, and despite her best efforts it really never “took” for me. A Scottish singer singing with a Jamaican accent? I’m not sure how I feel about that. The production of the music was good. There was some variety in the songs that was welcome. This hasn’t won me over to reggae music. It was pleasant enough but I’m not motivated to listen to this again.
Who knew reggae music could come out of Scotland? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. The artist and album seem relatively unknown compared to others that have crossed this project. I am not super familiar with the reggae genre, but this album felt very light and was easy to listen to; it brightened up a cloudy, gloomy day, and I'm sure would make a sunny day feel even sunnier. For whatever reason, "Sunday Shining" was a big hit with me; I haven't stopped listening to it!
Pleasant enough reggae album with lashings of acid jazz, trip-hop, pop, jazz, soul and rock vibes. Smooth but slight. Inoffensive.
Unconventional mixture of reggae, retro-soul, African root beats and current DJ rhythms. (6/10) FT: It's Great When We're Together
Decent
02/02/2022 Nice little album to kick-back and listen to on a sunny weekend.
Quality album, shame there was no more.
No idea what to expect with this, and the album cover doesn't give too much clue as to what's inside. Now I'm listening and I'm sure not sure what to make it. The first song is like Bob Marley meets inspector gadget? It's Great When We're Together is appealing, gets a heart. Sunday Shining is good. But by Even After All the forced accent and thin reedy voice is starting to grate. The groove through these songs is simple but quality, the music does its part. But the vocals don't float like they need to if this reggae / jazz mashup is going to work. A star for the music, a star for the originality, a star for the generally positive vibe. On the plus side I learned the word trip-hop so that's something.
Lots of heart and actually quite a variety of sounds from this album. Happy to listen to it again.
6/10
Starts out a typical reggae album… sidesteps into straight rock… and then proceeds to mix the two throughout? While the vocals did wear on me after a while, this LP managed to keep me on my toes for its entire runtime with an eclectic mix of genres that somehow works way better than it should.
A bit of good reggae, a bit of chill rock... I'm not surprised that this did well in New Zealand! It makes me think of Fat Freddy's Drop. Not quite my vibe but it's pretty good for what it is. My top pick is 'Supreme I Preme' but I also liked the title track and 'Your Love Gets Sweeter'.
This was pretty cool. I think it's definitely more of a collective vibe that a collection of songs? I'm not sure if there's any songs I'd pick out in particular but I enjoyed it a lot regardless - a strong 3
While I don’t find the music particularly engaging, I do like the reggae voice. I like it even more that it’s not paired with stereotypical reggae beats. I would definitely listen to this again if someone else puts it on.
Blah blah blah
Easy listening
First song is pretty shit, but the second one kinda picks up some feeling. This is actually really good. Had some really good ones like Sunday shining, Your love gets sweeter and supreme I preme. so it's a half half to me 3.5
It was fine, kinda of weird. I liked some songs, but then other just seemed repetitive.
There is a breezy light feel to the album and some memorable tracks (Sunday Shining, Even After All), the arrangements are pleasant and the musicianship is great. Overall, though, there’s not enough consistency to make this a great album but is a noble effort nevertheless.
I was excited by this one as I had the album when it came out. But was still disappointed. Also though it was Maverick Strike with no A - you live and learn
nice sound
ja man
At first, I was pretty harsh on this album, but as I listened more, I started to soften to it. The soft reggae rock vibes it puts out are pretty great, and though I initially thought it was just a mediocre voice combined with mediocre lyrics, I found myself being carried away by the melodies. Sometimes it was too heavy, and I think those moments take away from the lighter ones, which really make the album.
My initial reaction to this wasn't great, but I found it grew on me. More going on but instrumentally and vocally than the pop-reggae first impression suggests.
Interesting. Not bad. Never heard of this before. I am sure it will just get better each time I hear it. This is a nice refreshingly different sound. Little reggae mixed with some rock.
Interesting vibes and some pretty groovy tracks, would listen again.
not the biggest fan of reggae. :(
Pretty nice vibe. Very new Sound for me
Soul songs with a reggae vibes and a bit of post-grunge thrown in the mix. Undeniably 90's, but Mr. Quaye has a beautiful voice and we get a bit of psychedelic elements in the middle of the record to mix things up. Quite good honestly.
I could see enjoying this if I were high. This is definitely good, but definitely not my jam.
3.5
adequate reggae music
A fine blend of reggae roots and rock. Finley has found a way to generate real music from his experiences that can have some impact, although it is debatable how much.
Knew one of these songs. It’s fine. Interesting.
Decent album - sun is shining is a tune. Voice grates after a while.
I wanted to give it a 4 as there are some absolute belters on this, but the weaker tracks are pretty awful. There was no need for this album to have 13 songs on it. Bloated with filler.
Front four tracks impeccable for me and the rest is really nice although some barely registers - still on rotation today. It’s great when we’re together is suchhhh a tune. Heart says four but got to go with the very very strong ⭐️⭐️⭐️ it deserves
Hmm nja nä inte riktigt min grej, gick att lyssna på, rätt chill men ikke bra va... hmmm 3 tror jag
it was pretty good, but i am not the biggest fan of this style of reggae. I liked Your Love Gets Sweeter and Sunday Shining the best.
Totally fine and listenable but not sure why it’s on this list. More of 7 out of 10 but bumping it down just to being a bit bland
Bob Marley 'cover' is interesting
Tranquilo, con ritmo y con toques reggae
First "reggae" album here and, although I don't knew the artist, it's easy to note the innovations brought by the artist in the '90s that are used until today.
Es como reggae. No está mal. Pero es un poco rollo al final.
just a lot more reggae
good but thats it
I have no idea why this album totally escaped my radar back in the day, but it's an enjoyable one, totally capturing the essence of those late 90's years. Would listen to it again.
ehhhhh...i mean...i dunno, i like the bass. not my style, but it's, you know, fine.
Quisiera ponerle más pero no se puede. Sí me gustó pero mnada más.
Initially it is ok I am not crazy about it so far. Very chill vibes though. The more I listen the more I like it. I was not expecting reggae
Some good tracks mixed with some misses
Es un escocés cantando Reggae. ¿No es suficiente para explicar por qué este disco es importante? Creo que el disco sería mejor si se quitaran unas 3 o 4 canciones. Tiene algunas muy interesantes, como “Ultra Stimulation”, pero siento que se pierden entre varias que son tediosonas.
muy buen Soft con una producción muy nítida y canciones bastante digeribles aunque al final va cayendo lentamente Esto es lo que pueden hacer unos hermanos que si se quieren y no tienen problemas de ego Sorpresa ver que son los de Don't dream it's over
Pretty good. Not earth shattering, but good.
it's great when we're together
Funky mon!
I enjoyed the album, and having only known a bit about Finley Quaye it was great to hear his sound in what seems to be the highlight of his career. Some of the songs I had recognized prior and enjoyed, but overall I think it was a good mix. There were a couple of songs I wasn't as invested in hence the 3*.
Don't listen to much reggae but I enjoyed this
Knew nothing going in, and its pretty atmospheric and interesting. Closer to a 3.5
Never heard of this guy, and according to global reviews, nobody else has regarded Finley in almost 30 years. Quite average tracks that would exactly like the mid- to late 90s. 2.5/5 rounding down as there doesn’t seem to be much cause to include this album in the 1001
Okay
While I am tempted to explain why I rated it the way I did, I will instead inform the reader that I do not enjoy Reggae.
Not a big reggae fan even though this is barely reggae. The mood is fine, but nothing really jumped out at me as memorable.
This is fine. I'm not sure I needed to hear it before I die, though.
Not bad, but boring and just forgettable. The UK centric cant of this list over emphasizes what I'm assuming was a one hit wonder (and I'm being gracious there) that never got off the isles. The spoken word portions of the songs, and vocals in general, were dull. The instrumentals were pretty decent, but couldn't make up for the boring lyrics.
hell nah
Groovyyy
Liked the first half ok. Didn’t like the spacier second half.
This is just a very plain, borderline annoying, 1997 pop record. I don't know what it's doing on this list. The only list I would put it on is a list of very plain, borderline annoying 1997 pop records. Even After All was vaguely acceptable, I suppose - the rest just passed me by.
Thought it was just okay, then I read that the Jamaican accent isn't even real and the guys was born and raised in Scotland LOL. Corny and inauthentic.
I know this has no business. 2.
This definitely sounds like something people loved in 1997 and was completely forgotten by 2000.
This guy might need some vocal lessons Reggae is always a cool genre for me, just something about the way rhythm is weaved into the fabric of the song is just really satisfying and almost relaxing. I’m not a weed guy but damn I bet listening to this stuff while high would be great. For the most part, there’s some pretty solid backing tracks, where although nothing special, absolutely gets the job done Unfortunately, this guy sucks at singing. I know Reggae singers can be a bit looser with the whole “sing to the rhythm thing” but Mr Quaye just can’t make it work. I don’t care for his accent (not to say you absolutely have to have a strong Jamaican accent or anything but Edinburgh is just not it). It makes it really hard to get into the music when that’s the voice you put to it Pretty disappointing, since the quick Wikipedia snippet on here made it sound pretty cool. Sometimes I wonder if this genre generally doesn’t review very well because of stuff like this. I know most of this review is kinda just comparing it to the rest of the genre rather than talking about individual components of this album, but I really didn’t want to have to relisten to anything this one had to offer
Reggae is like, a really minimal genre. Would never seek it out on my own, but it's not actively offensive or anything. That said, I really don't think the scots should do reggae.
This is a Scottish guy pretending to be Jamaican. Once you realize that fact, it's very distracting… coupled with the fact that he's just not a good vocalist. His enunciation is pretty bad, occasionally making it tough to work out the lyrics from listening alone. It sounds a bit like he's learning to speak for the first time. And doing so drunkenly in front of a large, judgemental crowd. The melodies themselves are nearly nonexistent. They're not only unmemorable and not very catchy, but they sound improvised. As if Quaye were making them up on the spot, without really understanding the harmonies or what the other instruments are doing. The opening track, Ultra Stimulation, is a bad choice to introduce people to Finley Quaye's music because it's (maybe) the worst offender in terms of vocals. Some highlights: the basslines in about half the songs are uninteresting, but the remaining ones are excellent. Super groovy. For this reason, Sunday Shining, Even After All, and some of the non-hit tracks actually become bearable in spite of the bad singing. I'm a fan of the chill keyboards too, first seen in It's Great When We're Together and Even After All, and then throughout the album from there.
Funky, not all that pleasurable to listen to. I think reggae is one of those genres where artists tend to delve too far into the fringe of experimentation until the essence of music is lost, which is being enjoyable to hear. I know this is a hot take but then again, I find a lot of Jimi Hendrix to be closer to noise than music because he spends so much time pushing the limit of what noises a guitar can make. Like yeah it is cool that you can do that, but I dont want to listen to it.
It's one thing to sing with a Caribbean accent as part of the art but speaking with a Caribbean accent as a Scottish person is strange. It's below average reggae. Didn't finish the album before changing to something else.
What a strange pull from Dimmery. No idea. Not many thoughts, just sort of floated past me.
‘Even After All’ is absolutely incredible - I really don’t do dub so I didn’t have high hopes but I’m glad to have heard this! Kind of album I’d come back to just for its confidence alone 🧡
Cultural appropriation never sounded more banal.
I listened to it, but not really my thing. It's not a bad album per se. I wouldn't skip a song if it showed up on a playlist. However, it's not something I'd ever seek out to listen to again by choice.
You know people complain a lot about the amount of britpop on this list, and while that's true, its stuff like this that is clogging up the list. In a sense, also britpop, but what I mean is the random ass 90's British (Scottish in this case) pop albums that go into other genres, reggae in this case. And its just not very good (No clue wtf Pitchfork was on giving this a fucking 9.7/10 - Almost perfect, really?). Like Ride On and Turn the People On sounds so cheap. The album's best when it's just aping Bob Marley, and at that point, I'll just listen to Bob Marley. I get this was apparently big in the UK, but from my experience, I don't trust half of what got big in the UK in the 90s to be anywhere close to good. It always comes off as weird, cheap, and very novelty to me (random ass apropriation of other culture's music - although that might not be the case here with Finley's Ghanian background - my understanding is Ghana's pretty big into reggae! Learned something today!). And this album isn't helping those trust issues. I will give it Supreme I Preme though. That song is a bit of a vibe. Overall, its not an absolutely terrible record. It's listenable, and sometimes a bit of a bop. But its like, there's so much better reggae music out there that I don't see the reason for putting this on the list. I certainly did not need to hear this before I die.
Favorite track(s): Sunday Shining
this album doesnt seem to be particularly striking for its time or its genre. this seems like the all white british editorial board wanted to pretend they were being inclusive. its a fine reggae album. but, like many other offbeat one time/one hit wonder english rock bands peppered throughout this book, it doesnt probably need to be here. alas, 1001 strikes again.
⭐⭐ Reggea-ish. Ännu ett album som jag inte förstår vad det gör på listan. Det är inte dåligt men har enligt mig inga highpoints. Det får bli en 2a.
So a Scottish guy pretends to be Jamaican and proceeds to make almost an hour of utterly boring reggae, pop, hiphop fusion.. what am I missing that makes this significant in the slightest
I mean it's fine, and sometimes very listenable. Very 90s. The affected accent wouldn't stand up today. Easy going. But there's some truly great actual reggae that didn't make the list, which means this easy listening fusion variety gets marked down. Also - it's too long. Another debut album trying to conceal some lack of quality through sheer quantity.
Never listen to reggae. So thanks to this project i was encouraged and liked it more than i thought i would. Still some cultural appropriation vibes with this scottish dude.
Solid, I enjoyed this one. Don't think I'll go back, but there are some good tracks in here.
I would've never guessed that this guy was Scottish. This was a sort of interesting fusion of genres, if not a little uneven all throughout. It's like pseudo-reggae with some hip-hop elements. It definitely wore on me the longer it went on, however.
This was... weird. As an album, to me, this was really incoherent; as much as it's supposedly reggae, not much of it really came across to me as reggae... and the more typical reggae bits were probably my least favourite bits... Dislike the faked accent, but did appreciate that there was some ingenuity and blending of genres. Was interesting if nothing else. The lyrics were way too repetitive though to the point of being irritating. Probably not going to revisit, but it wasn't absolutely awful... High 2.
I can't enjoy music like this.. The backing is incredibly minimal and it hinges entirely off the vocalist doing a good job. The vocalist isn't intersting. 2
Once again I was sucked in a bit to start, thinking, maybe this is a stupid fun album to play while hanging out. Then I started to feel like every song was incredibly long, and I realized it's because they are all super repetitive and annoying.
Not horrible but I'm not replaying anything on here.
Komische Beats trifft es tatsächlich gut: Es wirkt heute wie ein seltsamer Hybrid aus Trip‑Hop‑Restwärme, Reggae‑Anleihen und Pop‑Ambitionen, der oft mehr Stimmung behauptet als erzeugt. Die Produktion klingt stellenweise unfertig, die Grooves stolpern eher, als dass sie tragen, und viele Songs wirken wie Skizzen, die nie ganz zu sich finden.
Runs the gamut between innocuous and annoying. Ditch this for some real reggae.
5/10
Oh wow, what a mind-blowingly just-okay album! This one gives me the impression that they were just looking for some, any, reggae to balance the book a bit. Hard to see how this is where they ended up...
Idk it's fun, little bit boring, never heard it before and wouldn't listen again
sounds tremendously like 1997….a freer time
Genuinely terrible
The UK's Darius Rucker? Is that insensitive? Yeah, probably. Speaking as someone who's mixed race himself, our concerns usually fall on deaf ears. Mostly I just don't have a lot of patience for nepo babies. Album is forgettable, but pleasant enough, I guess.
5/10 - it's ok but becomes samey
eh 2
#926. And here I was thinking the British were just bad at rap. Turns out they're bad at reggae as well. 2/5: nah
Apart from a couple of songs which if I remember correctly were the singles the album as a whole was quite mediocre and I am baffled as to why this was on the list to be honest.
I mean it's alright. Feels like an interesting mix of Reggae and Jazz, which I guess is fine. Just not really my groove. How this guy who has 90s hits still somehow has 350k monthly listeners on spotify makes sense. I could definitely see this being popular with a lot of crowds, I just am not really in them.
The music is fine but that voice is like driving a knife through my eardrums
I didn’t hate it. It also didn’t have any songs that I liked
It was ok
I’m not sure what to think about this album. I have certainly heard worse.
Scottish Ghanian Reggae before you die? It doesn't suck and yet not that good. Also, exhaustingly too long for active listening.
A very 90s interpretation of reggae. The problem is that I don't like reggae. This album didn't change that.
I just didn’t get this one
This is Ok. Nothing outstanding. But given the dearth of reggae on this list, including this second rate Scottish stuff is almost insulting.
Occasionally groovy but nothing that hasn’t been done before by someone better. Top 1000 of all time? Not sure about that…
This was an inconsistent mess. Maybe a little too much ganja before recording
2 out of 5. They tried, and I did too.
Sem nada de especial. É um álbum de Reggae feito por um não-jamaicano forçando um sotaque jamaicano. Combinação estranha. Não é ofensivamente ruim, apenas ofensivamente entediante. E muito longo também, longo demais pra sonoridade ofertada. Alguns instrumentais até são relativamente interessantes, mas o disco é esquecível demais, você rapidamente perde o foco. Não gostei e não ouvirei novamente. 2/5
MICHAEL: I got to see how Jamaicans live. It is great. You know, they just relax, they party all the time. PAM: It's kind of an impoverished country.
Sunday Shining is a great cover, the rest of the album is decent. High 2s.
Not really for me x
Dunno, just bounced off of me.
Sunday Shining is good. The rest are not.
The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart - is that an April Fools joke?