Reviews (page 5 of 8)
The first part of the album is a 10, the second gets a bit slower and it's a 7. "Sunday Shining" is amazing! 8.5/10.
This is a Scottish guy pretending to be Jamaican. Once you realise 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 melodic rhythm is often tentative, fragmented, oversyncopated to the point of arrhythmia. 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, reminds me of your classic Marley recordings with a small dose of modern electronic influence. 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. It really glues together the instrumental sound. 2/5 Key tracks: Sunday Shining, Even After All, Your Love Gets Sweeter
El bajo y su protagonismo llega a saturar en muchos de sus temas los que además no logran liberarse de un cansino ritmo
NO!!!!!
Not my favourite but still good
Scottish Reage, need I say more... Oh yes? Oh then it's shit
I don’t know what I was expecting… but it wasn’t this. I think I love reggae. I was uncertain with the first song because I was in a mood when I turned this on… but the more I listened… my mood started to disappear and I was calm. Could’ve been the circumstances but I listened at the right time! Big fan!
Not my fave but not bad
I liked this. It was fun. 3.7
I really enjoyed this album. Fun, loving, sweet, interesting.
¿De verdad que uno de los álbumes que debo escuchar antes de morirme es reggae noventero escocés mediocre? Lol. Un álbum aburrido y poco inspirado, se podrían haber escogido muchos otros álbumes de reggae antes que este. De nuevo, el sesgo británico del editor es más que evidente. 1.5, lo redondeo a 2 porque, como música de fondo para trabajar, me ha venido bien.
OK but nothing special
Reggae and Jazzy ! Did not really enjoy the beginning or the end. That's not the music you'd expect from Edinburgh !!! Thought that Toots and Maytals were singing instead of him in some songs. I'll revisit it 3.5
I like the reggae funk sound, but nothing really stuck out
I know nothing about the artist, but everything about this record screams "industry plant". Nothing sounds sincere, everything sounds "partial". The presence of this album on this list calls the integrity of the list into question. In what conceivable world is this an essential album?
idk what to say about this
cool, weird shit
Super mellow and smooth, especially for a Sunday afternoon. Very chill with hypnotic (but not numbing) vocals.
Zzzzzz Favorite track(s): Sunday Shining Will I revisit?: low priority Current rating: 4.5/10
Not terrible recognised a few songs but not my cuppa tea
Never been a fan mainly as I find his voice annoying, but the 2 big singles are still decent.
Eh, wasn't my thing, it was pretty corny. Wouldn't relisten
Rating:2.0
Jamaican sounding vocals with some nice deep bassy music. Shame that it's mostly fairly dull. Some of the early songs had promise.
Hmm yeah I just couldn’t get into this one. The music seemed like a dull, almost generic attempt at melding blues, reggae and R&B and Finley’s voice just wasn’t hitting me. Lots of late 90’s stock preset keyboard sounds. There were a couple of moments that I really enjoyed such as the brass laden chorus on “Sunday Shining” but over all not my thing.
Mellow album. Nothing really inspiring or special about it. Supreme | Preme was my favorite. 2.
Hmm. I'm not super knowledgeable about reggae and other types of music but there is a good bit of it that I like. More than anything, listening to this album makes me wonder if some of these other artists I'm thinking of are going to be represented on this list, and made me realize that we haven't been given a lot from this genre so far. I've never heard of this guy before, so I had no context going into the listen. I think some of the tracks were definitely better than others. On the low end of the albums scale, the songs seem sort of plodding or meandering, like he went into the studio and was just jamming or riffing. Yet I know sometimes that comes with reggae. But I also felt like lyrically and vocally I've heard better--the lyrics here were often shallow and repetitive, and just not super engaging. The obvious benchmark for reggae is Bob Marley, and Bob brings such emotional expressiveness and warmth, and the lyrics are often profound in their simplicity. I know not all reggae could be or should be similar to Bob Marley, but using that as an obvious point of comparison, I couldn't help but find this album a bit lacking. 2.5
The music was enjoyable, but I couldn't get past the fake accent.
Lot of great stuff on this album - Sunday Shining and Ultra Stimulation are highlights. But there’s also a lot of filler - if the last four tracks were removed then I think this would be a great album. Red Rolled and Seen feels like the background music of a Crash Bandicoot game - there are a couple other tracks like this which are repetitive and irritating. Regardless, Finley Quaye remains Scotland’s finest reggae artist. I feel confident in saying that’s something nobody will ever take away from him.
While listening to it different thoughts came to my mind such as Quit listening this album, quit this album generator listening party event, maybe do some breathing exercises. Decided to do nothing and give this album 2
I am really conflicted about this. It had some really cool things in it. but also I was not sure if it's still the same album I'm listening to at some moments. Overall - not bad. 😁😄
Insanely bland pop reggae that has no hooks whatsoever.
Tell me you're out of ideas for your book without telling me you're out of ideas for your book.
Reggae? Yes. Pop Reggae? Meh. 90s Pop Reggae? No.
2.4 2x
Fun and light. Just what was required for my Sunday. Maybe a bit pop for my usual taste but, while I was going bonkers playing Enter The Dungeon, it was a lovely counterpoint.
I now know why people fall in love with Finley Quaye music. What a lovely album.
Although it's not my usual choice of music, it really has a nice vibe.
Gear: Hifiman Arya Artwork: 👄🌞👾 Production: 😐🤔🤷 Music: 🥠🌈🌍 Rating: 🌞(🌞)/5
2.5
I gather this is some new-age reggae, or a poppy take on it? I think there were a couple hits here. Sunday Shining is a cool jam and The Way Of The Explosive was more of a traditional reggae track that I liked. Everything else was either forgettable or not very good. I think this feels like a low 3.
I get it but not my thing but still a few good tracks
Well, there goes my great album streak. Why is this here? Did I really need to listen to some scottish reggae album from 1997 before my inevitable death? No. I don't think I did. Would I say that I'm upset that I listened to this album though? Not really. I'm just kind of confused. I guess if I had to compare this to any other album I've listened to for this project, it would be that Billy Bragg album I listened to back in December 2023, which feels like a lifetime ago. I'm mainly saying this because of three things. The instrumental style is fine, the writing has some nice things to say at times, and I don't like this guy's voice. Finley's voice is kind of annoying, but that's just me. The instrumentation isn't bad, but it also isn't my thing. The writing has good points sometimes, but other times just doesn't work for me. The album's pretty long too. I definitely wouldn't call this album's existence a mistake, but I would say that including it on a list like this is a mistake. It exists and does nothing more than that for me. 2/5.
Not for me. I could see a scenario where this goes on as background music in certain situations but it’s not something I would listen to again on its own. It felt very dated in some way which I feel a lot of these albums I’ve listened to so far have been.
Kinda reggae, funk, maybe jazzy?
I don't like this
Solid album with some good sounds. Not enough to leave me wanting more, but a worthy listen.
not really my cup of tea, but a good album
Nopeee.
This was a nice surprise and memory listen for me.
Me dejé llevar por las pésimas notas y creí que me la pasaría fatal, y para nada. No soy nada fan del reggae, pero esto en primera no parece mucho reggae y en segunda tiene arreglos bastante padres y sorprendentes. Así que se va con 3.
3.5
Another reggae album that's perfectly okay
This album (and Finley Quaye) was unknown to me until now. It's a pleasant enough mix of reggae funk and soul that comes across as bit of pastiche.
Reggae and soul kind of fusion. Not bad.
What a sprawling record, and I can't decide if that's a good thing or not. The first song had me thinking it would be some kind of reggae album. But then 'Sunday Shining' sounds completely different, and again 'Even After All' is something new yet again. After second time listening through this I think I'm leaning towards this being a quite good record. I like that it tries different things, and it does it quite well. Plus there are several tracks that I enjoy quite a lot, like aforementioned 'Even After All', 'Your Love Gets Sweeter', and 'Sweet And Loving Man', to name a few. The rest of the tracks does what they do quite well also, and there are barely any ones that are a bad. Except perhaps 'I Need a Lover' which could've been skipped for sure. Fun with a record I haven't heard before that is a bit different! Weak 4 for me.
Was expecting reggae after the intro to the first track but was treated to a mix of styles. Really enjoyed the funkier tracks like "Sunday Shining" and the spoken word "Ride On and Turn the People On". Felt very 90s, nearly like "Fatboy slim" but without the many samples if that makes sense. Would've been a 4 star but the length of the album is to its detriment. Will settle for a very strong 3. Can see myself listening to this some more.
This album is so legit. Good period. I am so thankful to the list for turning me on to this record. I would have never heard otherwise in my life ...so so good. I do recommend..
Nit a bad album but just mellow vibes
Decent enough. Missed this when it came out. Seems like the style was a fad in the end and Quaye’s fame was brief.
Not too bad, it was a good background listen but nothing too exciting.
so fun!
Definitely don’t need to listen to Scottish Reggae before I die. Yet another questionable inclusion on this list… 1.5⭐️
Afro-Scottish reggae and dub? Holy crap!
From the 90s onwards it seems like the book relies a lot more on sales figures in either the US or UK ( or both) to determine its picks. This album was middle of the road enough to reach double platinum in its day but it isn't exactly earth shattering. I had to take a star off because it played on a loop in a pub I worked in on moribund weekday shifts.
I first heard this when it came out I wish I hadn’t
Never heard of Finley before but I like Reggae a lot. This is perfect music to start my Sunday even though it is 11 degrees out. I really dig the basslines. Funky, melodic and in the pocket. Groovy stuff.
Always put off by his voice but when it’s part of an album is just nice coffee table ambiance
I had this on at the gym which I don't think was its intended environment but it was pleasant enough
Słuchałem tego z 4 razy. Oceny, które chciałem temu wystawić wahały się między 2 a 4, co chwilę co innego myślałem o tym albumie. Niektóre kawałki są naprawdę fantastyczne ("It's Great When We're Together" najbardziej zapadło mi w pamięć), a niektóre ciągną się w nieskończoność, choć trwają ledwie kilka minut ("The Way of the Explosive"). Mnogość stylów jakoś mi nie przypadła do gustu przy tym albumie. Nie wrócę, bo za dużo rzeczy mnie męczyło lub nużyło, ale za te kilka fajnych kawałków muszę docenić.
It's reggae! Kill it with fire! Even if it's more intresting compared to others within genre I still cannot go higher than 2.
Pewnie nie raz mówiłem co myślę o Regge. Finley Quaye zdecydowanie zaskoczył. Rzadko zdarza się album, który zmienia sposób postrzegania gatunku, ale "Maverick A Strike" robi to z zaskakującą lekkością. Finley Quaye bierze reggae za bazę, ale filtruje je przez acid jazz i britpop, tworząc brzmienie, które jest jednocześnie luźne i nieprzewidywalne. "Even After All" hipnotyzuje swoją prostotą, "Sunday Shining" eksploduje pozytywną energią, a "Your Love Gets Sweeter" pokazuje jego bardziej soulową stronę. Choć nie wszystkie utwory trzymają ten sam poziom, a momentami album wydaje się nieco zbyt rozmyty, to właśnie ta swoboda sprawia, że trudno go jednoznacznie sklasyfikować – i w tym tkwi jego siła. Słabe 4
Had a couple songs from this album already in my playlist, but never listened to this album as a whole yet, or really much of Finley Quaye at all. Lots of influences merge into something thats kinda groovey, jazzy and bluesy at times, 90s uk pop at times. I liked it as a whole but the end is harsh.
Super dubby out of the gate on Ultra Stimulation. Not a genre I ever seek out, but I always do enjoy it when its on. This has a distinctly electronic lean that is pretty damned trippy. Try as I might, I couldn't really focus on this one. I enjoyed it at its dubbiest and spaced out: Ultra Stimulation, Even After All, Sweet and Loving Man. Otherwise, I didn't mind it, but didn't really get too deep into it. Like a high 3.
I like his voice. the sound is more a newer reggae vibe. 4 stars for me
Nothing wrong with some nice chill reggae. At least one of the songs had an electronic funk to it that reminded me of Gramatik. A couple of the songs were 4 star songs, but most of the album fell comfortably into a solid 3.
Some nice reggae that really nothing stood out on. Pretty forgettable
Solid background music but nothing that really pushes it in any direction for me. Hope we get some more of the influential reggae though if this is on here. Middling 3.
You don't hear much from him nowadays, but revisiting this I enjoyed it. Your love gets sweeter and Sunday shining are great tracks and the rest are decent enough MOR reggae. 4/5
This one takes me back to the late 1990s! This album was big in the UK. The mixture of trip-hop, reggae, and soulful pop is generally well done. However, it's a lightweight sound overall. It feels like reggae diluted down into a palatable, indistinct soup. I think there's a reason we all forgot about this before the millennium dome was even renamed... 2*
A quite OK reggae album with songs that are pretty unique from each other. The singer uses the typical reggae voice. I'm not a big fan of this genre, but not bad. Favorite track: Even After All
Had never heard of this guy before, but this is really nice. It's just really good reggae. I especially like "Sunday Shining", with the dark backing vocals and psychadelic jangle. The opening track and "Ride On" are also very strong. Towards the end the wheels start to come off a bit, it gets a little spacey and slow. But the front half is very tight. Couple of these are going in the rotation.
I love reggae. But not this.
It was okay.
Прикольная музыка
I owed this in 1997, it is an excellent piece of work. A good 9/10
Smooth reggae sound, and absolutely delicious bass licks. However, the farther it strays from its reggae roots, the more it tries to incorporate so many different sounds and styles, the less interesting it becomes. Perhaps just a case of trying to be too many things for too many people.
This has a super weird tonal diversity to it. some of it is rootsy Jamaican, some is straight ahead alt brit rock, some electronica/jungle style textures. The transition between Your Love Gets Sweeter to Supreme I Preme is very illustrative of this.
Why not give me a real reggae album rather than this disposable “hip 90s cafe background music”?
I had never heard of this guy before and I probably could have gone on without knowing about him. Scottish reggae is definitely not a vibe. Favorite track: Your Love Gets Sweeter (this one is fine I guess.) 1.5/5
Wow, now this is some serious hipster shit. Scottish reggae from the '90s? I bet you NONE of your friends and family have EVER heard of or heard this album - You're going to get some serious music hipster cred when you pull out this vinyl. That aside, its kinda forgettable. Its OK, but not great. 3/5
This has some good moments. The scots/reggae sound is quite interesting and works well for some songs, but does tire by about half way through the album. Overall I don't think this is something I'm going to come back to, except for maybe the two songs I list below! I hadn't heard of Finley Quaye before. It's quite sad to read about him now; he clearly had this really exciting moment of fame in the 90s, but it just didn't last, and since them he's been through bankruptcy and convictions. Top tracks: Your Love Gets Sweeter (this is a nice track!) Even After All
“Ultra-Stimulation”? More like a tranq dart to the fucking jugular. I’d rather have my finger nails pulled out than listen to this …
I couldn't keep listening I was so bored, it's not my taste in music...
Fav song: Maverick a Strike I really like all the reggae bits on this album, but I find the rest of it to be a bit of a miss. I will say though, the way he mixed down other genres but with a Reggae style mixdown is pretty cool and fun to listen to. Lyrically I personally find it a bit tiring when there are too many songs about the exact same thing on one album, and he sings about love a LOT. But other than that, it's inoffensive and totally fine.
Well, being brutally honest, Finley Quaye may have put the most beautiful words to the songs on this album and yet, I still can't believe anything that is sung here. Everything here feels soulless (and that's a soft way of saying it sounded fake). I'm not doubting Finley's ability as an artist, maybe the content just didn't convince me. And i'm alright with that.
Not awful, just boring.
Pleasant enough
This was a pretty interesting listen, the production is really interesting in contrast to the vocals/style. Overall glad I listened, probably won't revisit.
Moderne reggae, lidt jazz, go vibe
This was pretty forgettable. I'm not sure why it's on the list. It's not awful but if there is something worth your attention here I couldn't find it.
Sound is kind of like a bad Nina Simone impersonator singing an AI written Bob Marley album. I agree this doesn't need to be on the list. It doesn't do anything and it's from 1997. There are just better versions of this to be found.
Современное регги, драйвовое, но, к сожалению, не цепляющее.
It was unconventional reggae and still had rhythm, it deserves to be on the list because it's so weird. Just not really my cup of tea.
Really awesome and fun album. Shocking that it was his first. Really ran a range of vibes, and a lot of it felt incredibly fresh. Thought this was going to be a dub/reggae album (and was happy about it) but it is much more. It’s a whole experience. Supreme I Preme was a standout. Some very cool sounds in there.
When it said Scottish artist schooled in London I thought I was in for another generic Brit rock album but this was so cool, not at all what I was expecting. The reggae mixed with the electronics was totally unique and it’s clear why this has become so popular for a debit album.
This was some fun, chill reggae.
This album was a lot of things. Reggae, hip hop, rock, etc. Didn’t care for it, but parts of the record made me not hate it. It showed some creativity that was engaging. Still, not for me. Standouts: Even After All, Your Love Gets Sweeter, and Maverick a Strike.
I remember Finley Quaye but I'd forgotten the actual tunes and this has been a pleasant stroll down memory lane. It never really grabbed me in a major way back in '97 and it also hasn't now but it's pleasant enough. He does a nice job of combining his singer-songwritering with some Reggae-tinged RnB, which was certainly having a moment at the time. I appreciate it, although it's not really my favourite thing.
Very beautiful music weird fusion of a bunch of musical styles, really dont know what to make of it, sounds like it could be by a musician from huntington beach or florida or something, but Im not really crazy about it.
This is one of the fun new discoveries for me. Good vibe, didn't love his voice but it works overall.
Who is this person? And what makes him notable besides the atrocious fake rasta accent? I got about three songs in before I couldn't take it anymore. Even if the accent wasn't terrible, his voice is just not good. Some of the music was okay, but it's nothing you couldn't hear on a lo-fi beats playlist. No thanks. 1/5
No... From the album summary.... "Scottish" .... Fuck "Reggae" ...... What the fuck The instances that this dude made the news are fucking hilarious. Here are a few examples.... "Finley Quaye found guilty for headbutting terminally ill friend over Game of Thrones" "Finley Quaye admits criminal damage after he threw metal road sign through glass bus door" "Finley Quaye has admitted punching a bar manager in the face in an unprovoked drunken attack." Dude has roots in Ghana, was born in Scotland, and sings with a fake Jamaican accent which adds to the irritation of this album. Fucking bland granola reggae. Terrible. Favourite songs: Sunday Shining, Your Love Gets Sweeter Least favourite songs: I Need a Lover, Even After All, Ride On and Turn the People On, The Way of the Explosive, Falling 1/5
Quite enjoyable.
There is nothing to be said that hasn't already been said in other reviews. Doesn't deserve a spot on this list.
It sucks that this album is so long and drags so much on it's second half because the moments where this album mixes reggae/dub and downtempo it's probably where its at its best and it sounds so good I wish it was just those songs because they are awesome, but the moment it goes for the slower, pure reagge/dub this album slows to a crawl. Those songs are relaxing but they have nothing much else to them for me to be interested, sadly
A well produced album and a good listen.
Not the worst but this was mediocre reggae. Bob Marley he is not.
As somebody who is not a fan of reggae. This album is not helping the case.
Weird sound, style and album. Definitely it's not the most interesting record on the list. Boring.
Interesting little reggae album.
incredible vibes
some fun songs
Wow this is not very interesting. I liked two songs here, the rest was not cool at all. And don’t forget to google the crazy dude!
Fun, but somewhat repetitive.
Some of y’all weren’t teenagers in the UK in the late 90s and it shows. I feel like if this album had opened with the undeniable Sunday Shining we’d have a more favourable score on here. That’s the basic story of this album, everyone love Sunday Shining and the quite likes Even After All and Your Love Gets Sweeter Everyday and then we kind of tolerated the rest of the album. Back in ‘97 we didn’t have Wikipedia to dig into the background of this guy, we just took it on face value that he was black or mixed race or something and was making sweet reggae music. It didn’t matter then that he was actually from Muirhouse but apparently it does now?
Blind album and artist. This guy doesn't need a lover, he needs to make better music. Not catchy really aside from 1 song and i wouldn't even listen to it again.
It's kind of reggae but kind of not. The actual music is quite enjoyable I would say. Don't know what's going on with the vocals though. Apparently Finley Quaye is Scottish so it sounds like a slightly bad imitation of a Jamaican accent. Pretty decent overall. It's a perfectly pleasant album, but ultimately quite unremarkable.
There were a couple of good grooves in here (Sunday Shining e.g.) but several clunkers. The intro song made me think of those old "shreds" videos on YouTube it was so clunky. I could pick the good out for some summer playlists but I wouldn't listen to this full album again.
I loved this album when i was 17 as a nice white middle class boy, and i was very surprised to find it on this list as i had always just thought of it as fairly disposable. On revisiting this it doesnt let itself down. Its sunshine in musical form. Well composed and fun pop/reggae. Sure its not authentic, but i loved it then and i enjoyed it now
Decent
I'll admit some of these some of these songs aren't good and some are objectively bad. But a few of these reggae baselines are so filthy (played by Quayle himself) that I may or may not have become pregnant listening to this. I was familiar with "Even After All" and "Your Love Gets Sweeter" as they were staples on mixtapes for hippy girls when I was in high school. Undoubtedly they acted as an aphrodisiac for the right teenage girl. However in my case it just made them realize they wanted a cool, Rasta musician type, and not some nerdy weirdo. Oops Well I was still on the fence about this one until I heard "Supreme I Preme" 90s hip hop anthem wet dream. Now I plan to name the child after his father Finlay Quayle Jr., which again I have mixed feelings about because most of this album isn't very good.
This guy's singing brought down this entire album. I kept thinking that the music was good but those terrible vocals kept messing it up. To describe the vocals, it sounds like your drunk uncle singing off pace with the song.
Instrumentally I really liked what this album brought, but good lord were the vocals just not there. It sounded like a caricature of a Jamaican trying to do reggae and just missed so hard which is disappointing because I think there could have been something really good here. 2.5/5
Supreme I Preme // 1.5/5
great album.
Lots of cool dub-inspired bass, lots of dogshit lyrics. I actually like a much of the music; I'm afraid that the effect is too often spoiled when Quaye opens his mouth. I'm being generous by giving this three stars. I'm in a good mood, and the electric piano across this album is sultry.
2.5/5
Cheeks
A decent reggae album - affectionate towards this one as I remember this was a favourite of a sibling - however in the spirit of some objectivity it’s not as good a reggae album as most of the good ones on this list - and as a pop album it’s ok at best.
Quite fun but ultimately quite forgettable in places, and just a weird album to exist - Scottish reggae, of all things
Окэй как бэкграунд. Регги перестал будоражить после прослушивания хитов (не) Боба Марли. Лучшая песня - Sunday Shining.
Scottish man sings reggae over nice sounding music
I have little experience with Reggae outside of some of the biggest songs that everyone knows. This was an enjoyable listen, but a bit overlong, and had most of it's enjoyable moments in the upbeat, high energy songs. There's no doubt that the slower songs aren't sweet in their lyricism but boy do they play out at a snails pace.
Chill reggae - not my favorite music genre but is still solid!
Nice, easy Nice songs: Sunday Shining, Your Love Gets Sweeter,
Loving this one. What is this? Dancehall? Reggae? Super chill.
Funky. But I need to write reviews right after listening, not the next morning.
This shit sucks
it’s kind of reggae but not really. i listened to the whole album and i still don’t know if i even liked it or not.
Noises
Good album. Well worth the listen.
I enjoyed this. Groovy reggae from Scotland.
A perfectly pleasant, unremarkable and instantly forgettable listen.
Very smooth
Jail. For everyone involved. At least five years in jail for this.
This was dreadfully boring, but not bad. I think I’m just not the target audience for this music. That being said, there are much worse things on this list. Not sure if this needs to be here, though.
3/5
Great reggae flavor, same calories as the beloved Bob Marley. Nice bounce to start the week . However, ready some other reviews leads me to have a bitter aftertaste
Correcto
I don't like this
Leuk hoor, een potje reggae, maar wat is hier bijzonder aan? Niks steekt zijn kop boven het Jamaicaans-Schotse maaiveld uit.
Moderne Raggae, dat soms aardig richting breakbeat muziek gaat. Daardoor ontstaat soms bijna een Fatboy Slim achtig geluid. Bijvoorbeeld bij Ride On and Turn the People On. Er zijn tegenwoordig veel crossovers in deze soort. Maar dit lijkt een soort voorloper. Leuk!
Soort moderne versie van reggae, al is het ook huismerk Bob Marley. Marley Quaye gooit er wat soul doorheen. Prima om een keertje te luisteren, al duurt het album met 50 minuten best lang. Het is geen vervelende muziek voor op een brakke vrijdagochtend, je stoort er weinig mensen mee. Maar ik betwijfel of ik me dit ga herinneren verder. Typisch voor een vergeetbare 3 dus.
Lemppari: It's Great When We're Together Vähiten lemppari:Supreme I Preme
This was pretty decent. Nothing here really blew me away, but I enjoyed the playthrough and wouldn't turn it off if it popped up again. 3/5
Better than most reggae, but still reggae. :( 2.75/5
Surprised at this one. Actually enjoyed it. Scottish reggae … who knew?
Electronic reggae music which also has elements of jazz and hip hop on some tracks. Pretty cool.
i know i’ve been giving a lot of 4s lately but this one is gas
Pre-listening thoughts: Scottish reggae what da hell Post/during listening thoughts: pairing reggae vocals with 90s synth and drums/percussion should be a crime. This is so bizarre lol. The vocals and instruments are duking it out on every track 2/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: no and I’m not sure who heard this and went “aw hell yea let’s subject everyone else to listen to this Frankenstein of music” Fav tracks: It’s Great When We’re Together Least fav tracks: Sunday Shining, Supreme I Preme, Red Rolling and Seen, I Need a Lover
Probably 3.5 not really my vibe
Not terrible, not good.
This more electronic kind of reggae is a nice change from the recent albums. Never heared of him before but I don´t think I´ll come back. Nothing that really hooks me.🤷♂️ favourite: "Sunday Shining", "Your Love Gets Sweeter"
Lots of fun listening to this and it definitely starts out hot with the first 3 songs being my favorites in descending order.
I really like this album and listen to it regularly.
Its alright. I can get into the grooves on this one but theres a decent amount of fluff on this one that goes in one ear and out the other.
A few ok songs, however most of them are boring and/or repetitive.
This is #day35 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... it's a September morning, the fall sky is pewter, and the air is pregnant with rain... The scene begs for corresponding music. And that should not be "sunshine" music. Also, a Scottish guy playing reggae? Don't get me started. This is a 1 out of 5, and I hope I never listen to it ever again. Looking forward to #day36.
reggae halt, ein Album geht, dann muss wieder was anderes her
Maverick A Strike: Finley Quaye: 1997. Absolutely never heard this or of the artist. I was definitely wondering why this was on the list and had to force myself to have an open mind despite the album cover. It took until the third listen yesterday for it to grow on me. Ultimately I enjoyed enough of it to assign 3 stars but I'll probably forget about it in a month as well.
Pretty good sound.
I'd forgotten about this guy completely, but found a couple of songs that I liked from back in the day. Enjoyable trip-hop infused with reggae and a hint of soul. Comes together well.
Bob meets Lenny meets Billy
I genuinely don't understand why this is on this list
A lot of nice Songs - Great musician
3.75
This was a really cool surprise! Reggae with kind of a sublime deal I’ll have to check when this came out to see who influence too. Some songs were cleaner than sublime, but it reminded me quite a bit of a little more reggae version of sublime. 4.25/5.
Only ever listened to his singles, rather than album. Not too bad
A decent listen, 3.5*
There is nothing about this that is for me at all
...
Born in Edinburgh, Quaye went to school in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. However, he left school with no qualifications. Before making records he took employment spraying cars, smoking fish, making futons and as a stage-rigger and scaffolder. He should have stuck with smoking fish, this record is ball bags
Shallow crap. It’s like an entire album conceived to be the background music for tampon and glucose monitor commercials.
Reminded me a lot of jon Batiste and his whole style of mixing r&B a bit of jazz and like reggae
This wasn’t really bad, but I didn’t care for it
Good reggae album. Not a genre I know much about but it sounded good to me!
First 5 seconds and I was thinking "mmm, another reggae album, but this one is a bit more electronic. This could be quite good". Then he opened his mouth. It's not that I don't think a few spoken lines can't add power and substance to a track, they can. But when you talk instead of singing it pisses me off. (Controversial bit here) It's why I'm don't like Frank Sinatra, he talks most of his songs instead of singing them. Anyway, I suffered my way through first track, and low and behold he sang it "Yay!" Got through that and half of next song and started writing this, because I can now categorically say, really don't like his voice. On finishing the album there were a couple of ok songs, but basically it was a decent album musically spoiled by a singer. 1
‘Even After All’ is one of my all time favourite songs and I bought this CD off the back of it. The other singles are good but don’t hit the same highs for me. Overall, a really solid album which was nice to revisit
The singles on this album got a lot of rotation on the radio. It wasn't my sort of thing at the time and it still isn't. I'm not sure what it is supposed to be, is it Reggae or Pop? However it's OK in places and its not uniformly dreadful for a 1 star so it gets a 2
It's alright because I'm a sucker for some reggae bass lines, but the vocalist himself isn't all that, and the songs blend together. Probably shouldn't be on the list as I don't think it's essential, but it's OK.
Some mix of Reggae and Folk? Not my type.
негры пиздят на этого типа что он делает убогий шотландский рэгги, так сказать не по канону. я буду пиздеть просто потому что после первых 3 синглов идет просто какой то бубнеж под непонятный какой трип-электро-соул рэгги, залупа скучная короче. лучше бы волынку достал, в шотландии же
Its whatever
I guess this is okay late 90s reggae. Sure, why not.
Solid reggae, but not something I would come back to
I remember the name and nothing else, so this’ll be fun. Ok funky reggae. This is cute. Easygoing, mostly mellow. Nice rhythm for background music. Gets much better in the second half. Can’t complain. The man wrote his own Spotify bio. That’s too pure. Sweet and Loving Man, indeed. 4/5
76% Fav: Ultra Stimulation, Sunday Shining Least: Ride On and Turn the People On Must-Hear? No, but give it a chance
daora
British reggae.... Okie dokie.
pleasant, but not exactly my style
Dave Chappelle really made this album as a joke right??
Best Reggae Performance of the year award? Was this the only reggae album in 1997? The entire project sounds like a dorky kid in his bedroom making an album using Garage Band on his MacBook.
Not for me. I’m sure it’s for others. Just not me.
Ehh... alright. Probably not really notable outside the 90s. 2.5/5
Scottish reggae. Weird.
Didn't get what is special about this. It was mediocre to me.
Mixed. It started off fairly mediocre, but the more trip-hoppy bits later on were enjoyable.
This is... not good. The "reggae" itself is fine and inoffensive but the fake Jamaican accent from a Scotsman is not. I had never heard of Finley Quaye before this and perhaps that was for the best.
Kan tycka reggae är ganska okej men den här plattan var bra trist.
Great production on Quaye's Caribbean-tinted pop songs. I really enjoyed the first half or so but the songs do get weaker toward the end of the album.
Reggae is the worst genre of music ever conceived. Ska is a close second. This is total shit. The nasally vocal and pseudo psychedelic influences make this even worse. I'm trying to remember if there is a worse record on this list.
Interesting and funky.
A lovely Summer pop album. Loved the big hit(ter)s from this at the time. It does drift in a couple of places, but has nice changes of mood throughout. Still stands up as a very good album now.
I was surprised by this - far more interesting than I remembered at the time. Maybe that's a comment on how one dimensional I was back in 1997. Yer man was pigeon holed at the time, which was slightly unfair. He didn't fit into the Britpop times. There's a lot of depth here. It's aged far better than most of the Britpop dirge.
65
Hands down the weirdest Scottish accent I have ever heard. And what is the point of including something like 'Red Rolled And Seen'?
When there’s barely any info to be found on either artist or album on this list, it’s usually either a good sign or a massive red flag. This is most definitely the latter. Quaye’s father (who he grew up without) was of African heritage but born in London. Yet Quaye still chooses to deliver the entire album in a fake Jamaican patois - it’s not exactly the greatest of choices.
Kiva että vaihdeltiin täyden reggaen ja funkin välillä sopivasti. Se piti levyn kulun kepeänä mutta kiinnostavana. Mutta ei tämä vain ole mun genreä, en osaa sen paremmin eritellä, oliko hyvä vai ei, enkä taida palata tähän enää.
Artisti on niin viehättynyt dubistaan, että jää herkästi jaarittelemaan itsekseen. Hänellä on kuitenkin ideoita, ja editori hoitaisi tästä helpon kolmosen. 2,5
Dreadful, faux reggae. Love Gets Sweeter saves it from being a complete abomination, but it's awful.
I'm not really a reggae person, but the beats on here were pretty chill and fun. But the vocals got very grating very quickly.
listenable
First listen in a long long time. Still as good as I remember.
This was a really pleasant listen today. I listened to the majority of it in a coffee shop sipping on a latte while practicing some Java skills on my laptop. I’m just that basic. Anyway, this was a really nice listen. The majority was reggae, but it also occasionally leaned into straightforward pop, giving an interesting extra dynamic to the album. The vocals were done well, and the music was catchy pretty much from front to back. It didn’t blow my face off, but it did give a nice soundtrack to my afternoon.
It’s not bad, it just didn’t really do anything for me.
4/5. Really well-written Reggae songs that mixes some R&B and rock instruments like an electric guitar and synths and pianos among other sounds. Quaye is at the forefront of each song of course, and what a chill and relaxing voice, even if the song is heavier. Reggae is harder to get into for me, and I do have to be in the mood for it, but this was good and much better than I was expecting. First half of the album the highlight for sure. Best Song: Even After All, Ultra Simulation, It's Great When We're Together
This seemed really mediocre. I love reggae but didn’t care for this
This was a pleasant surprise, an album with a really cool and chilled out vibe. Also a lovely mesh of styles which show a songwriter influenced by jazz, trip hop, soul, reggae and all sorts. Not 5 stars because it gets a bit slow near the end, my attention waned at the instrumental track Red Rolled and Seen. Overall enjoyed though, and a note to self to come back to this when I'm lying on the beach in a few weeks
Some really, really great tunes - would say that it feels a bit scatter-gun-y but that could also be seen as a plus... seems like a real shame that he fell off but "Even After All" is beautiful, "It's Great When We're Together" has that Portishead-y strings accompaniment and dubness. Generally reminding me of Massive Attack with different vocals. "Sunday Shining" has proper swagger. "Your love gets sweeter" is also beautiful. Was originally going to give a 3.4 but I'm going to knock it up to a 3.65.
This is okay. Nothing struck me as especially distinctive or unique. Electronica-flavored reggae that very much dates itself.
Whatever even for background not that good
Sunday Shining is really good. The rest is cheeks.
Props for doing reggae differently than all the other albums on this list that sound the same. A few good songs on here.
Could be a good one to go back to. Didn't get too much on the first listen but there's a lot going on, with different vibes coming and going throughout.
It’s a little underwhelming. I like a more upbeat sound
Really fun listen for the first half. Dragged a little at the end
Groovy
Ein interessantes Reggae Album ohne 08/15 Arrangements. Angenehme Unterhaltung, aber nicht weltbewegend
Some may say that reggae is very easy to do , but completely nailing the sound is where it's at . Even before learning of Finley Quaye's origins I was already expressing thoughts of something essential to reggae just lacking . Not to say non-jamaican artists can't make good reggae . Just that this didn't go well with me and there are many more good reggeae records deserving of a place on here.
Is this Nu Reggae???
I shot the sheriff, but I was aiming for this guy
So I was pleasantly surprised by “”Maverick A Strike” by Finley Quaye… As a reggae aficionado, I liked the vibe of the album – as while it is not true reggae, I’d call it reggae-tinged for sure… There was good diversity throughout the album which is always appreciated, and there really isn’t a bad track on it either – just some songs are better than others… Also a nice dose of originality on top gets a tip o’ the cap… Best songs IMO were – “Sunday Shining” – 4-stars out of 7… “Even After All” – 4-stars out of 7… “The Way Of The Explosive” – 4-stars out of 7… “Red Rolled & Seen” – Nice groove instrumental and 4-stars out of 7… “Maverick A Strike” – Has a vibe of Marley’s “Exodus”, just not nearly as good – also 4-stars out of 7…
Good music. Terrible lyric.
The trip-hop faux reggae is about as far from my wheelhouse as you can get. I guess this is probably fine, but couldn't be any less interested in this kind of music.
Oh man, there are maybe two semi-cool songs on this album. That won’t do it for me. Insane dude, too.
Global Village Coffeehouse: The Album. If you bobbed your head to this album in a Starbucks while waiting for your Strawberry Refresher, that’s fine, because on face value, it’s fine. Basic, but fine. Based on the music alone, I wouldn’t turn this off, although most of it is uninteresting and some of it is noticeably bad. But just like GVC, there’s some inherent political elements at play that just…aren’t great. What I learned about this man from Page 1 of Google alone 😳 And that then reshaped how I heard Maverick A Strike entirely. The music is still too okay to drop to a 1-star for me, but it’s certainly not special, and it’s definitely got some built in problems, so….yeah, a 2 is me being generous. How this album made it on this list over other reggae or dub records....big yikes, Dimery!
Love gets sweeter is a wonder track, After All is good, and Maverick a Strike is alright, otherwise I thought it was a bit flat
ganz chillig aber nothing special
Some good songs here, never heard of him though. This is an interesting variation of reggae. High 3.
A fun listen but not one I’m likely to go back to. It at least had a different sounds from many albums on this list in its fusion of pop, rock, and reggae. A high 3.
Really enjoyed
One brilliant song, lots of filler
2.5 Was expecting worse from all the reviews here! Sure this dude I guess is a culture vulture but the music is fine. Way better first half than the second but I didn’t hate myself listening to this, probably won’t seek it out again though.
I wasn't previously familiar with this album but it was an interesting foray into mid-90s reggae.
That was spectacularly uninteresting.
It’s Great When We’re Together Sunday Shining Your Love Gets Sweeter Sweet and Loving Man Maverick a Strike I don’t know if I’ve reviewed a reggae album yet and it kind of caught me off guard in a good way. The vibes behind it are very sunny day relaxing soothing. What a great voice
Just chill reggae, nothing too interesting.
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.
1/5
Listened a while ago and regret not writing a review in the moment. Remember kinda liking it though.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. Pleasant background music. 2.5
I don’t know that I’d classify this in best albums but I enjoyed it
A Scot impersonating a Jamaican accent to do reggae is the equivalent of a trust fund Pennsylvanian putting on a southern drawl to do country.
I have heard of Finley Quaye before, but I don't recall his music. However, I really like this album. It was very refreshing. His voice is smooth, the music and production is great, and the songs are very nice for a summer day. I'm going to listen through the few albums he put out after this one, as well.
Probably the greatest Scottish reggae album of all time (admittedly not a long list of contenders) and one I come back to every year when the sun comes out.
2m
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.
Wasn't familiar. Would listen again.
Where is the line with cultural appropriation and honoring another culture begin and end? I don't know.
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
pop-reggae yrgh 2/5
Not usually a fan of this genre but three of the tracks are brilliant so low 4*
Good start but got a bit grating over the course of the album. OK in small doses perhaps...
Interesting take on reggae music.
Scottish reggae with a really obvious fake Jamaican accent. How many legit Jamaican artists got left off the list for this trash
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 apply "The Rule". See up there in the review section for what that "rule" entails. The first four tracks are nice enough I guess, from the dub instrumentation of the opener to the classic rhythm'n'blues feel of "It's Great When We're Together" and "Sunday Shining"--a minor 1997 hit I still remember today, after decades without any news from Finley Quayle. Unfortunately everything after (and by that I mean *absolutely everything*) lacks dynamics and clear endpoints. Those other songs go nowhere, and what's amazing is that a wide array of styles are experimented here, from dub and trip hop to electronica and world. And yet nothing jumps to your ears. You even have the impression that the record is *both* messy and one-note (at least within *each* genre and subgenre the record tackles with). Which takes the cake a little. Nothing is grating either, admittedly. But it's hard to believe anyone has ever considered *Maverick A Strike* an "essential album". Maybe the fault lies in Quayle's voice. This Horace Andy clone is a skilled vocal perfomer, yet his distinctive-yet-quite-mechanical inflexions can't fill the blanks left by his compositions. Under that light the useless cheesy effects on his voice in some of those cuts sound like a last-minute attempt to bring dynamics to those tunes, unfortunately to no avail. There's too much style and not enough content there anyway. Reading the way Finley wrote about himself to introduce his music on Spotify, you have the feeling he's a humble and unassuming individual. Basically a good guy. Tabloids say otherwise, but what do they *really* know about a man's life? The thing is, it's hard to have strong emotions about his music, whether positive or even negative. Hope Finley still enjoys singing to some audience out there, wherever he is now. Spotify suggests so. And glad that this record gave him the push he needed to keep on doing so decades later. Not that said record actually *deserved* a BRIT award. But awards have been given to worse things than this. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of "essential albums". 7/10 for more general purposes (5+2). Number of albums left to review: 176 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 358 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 206 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 262 (including this one)
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
Not sure this qualifies as a must hear. Just okay.
Just couldn't get into it.
I thought this album was a cool rock-reggae ish mix but it quickly got kinda bland and I just didn't really enjoy it LMOAAAA. anyways I am still distraught I missed the Velvet Underground album, so this will probably be affecting my reviews for a week or so. Signing off, Luis
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.
Nice trip-hop and Ska vibes but I just couldn't stand the guy's voice.