Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Reggae Album mit guten instrumentals die Teils vom Gesang zurückgehalten werden. Trotzdem einige Highlights wie Sunday Shining. 3+
Nothing against it, just not a fan of the genre.
wtf is this shit Scottish reggae? dunno how I feel. Pretty mid
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.
Had never heard this. It was a groove!
oh boy. this was... meandering, grating, and repetitive. that last track in particular was an absolute slog. wtf? i love "dice" (shoutout to the OC soundtrack!) and thought i'd like this too but it did not hit.
boy, this has been a rough week for albums. another one whose inclusion in this list is absolutely baffling to me. the instrumentation, arrangements, and production here are all pretty good, but the fake jamaican accent over the top just ruins it all for me. these tracks are all between 3-5 mins long with no variation beyond that, and i honestly struggled to get through some of them due to how aggressively boring they were. not coming back to this one, sorry. favorites: sunday shining, your love gets sweeter
Like the hits, very mellow. Didn't really like the guy himself from what I remember. Music for middle class white women who have had a few too many glasses of rosé at the garden party
Very fun
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.
Nothing exceptional here!
I really love the singing, and the effects being used on the guitar and vocals throughout. The high energy bops and more chilled tracks coexist wonderfully, and neither feels like it drags the album down. I appreciate the presence of the horns. Overall wonderful groove.
Boring reggae. What a shock that I didn't like it. Not one star bad but never again.
Basic reggae
Special. Ideal for acompañar and make things while listen...
Upbeat and a great blend of genres.
Wow, color me surprised. Read the bio before listening and was not expecting Reggae from a gent born in Scotland.
We go now to the internal thinkings of Robert Dimery as he assembled the list of 1,001 album you must listen to: - We should add a reggae album - you mean the music crafted on the Caribbean island of Jamaica that was pioneered by such greats as Bob Marley, Toots and the Maytals, Peter Tosh, and Steel Pulse? - Yeah! We should totally add some reggae. How about a random guy from Scotland that nobody has heard of but blends the reggae with all of the bad tropes that are associated with Reggae - You mean, you don't want to add an actual Reggae superstar? - But he's from the UK! - 👀 2/5
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.
What a surprise! Right in your eyes! Funky 90s reggae who would have guessed it?!? Not for everyone certainly but certainly for me
so insubstantial it needs pinning down before it floats away. Not actually offensive, but so inoffensive it kind of comes out the other side and is offensive again.
Another one I've never heard of before. I absolutely hated the first track, but then quite liked the second. The entire album was a mixed bag of hits and misses for me, but sadly the misses far outnumber the hits.
Ok Reggae
This feels a very average British reggae album, not sure why it’s on the list.
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
Oi bruv, dis reggae music is brilliant innit?! Do we know any Jamaican geezers that can make some for us? Finley Quaye? Isn’t he Ghanaian or summit? Ah, toss it. Sign ‘im to a record deal and put the kettle on! It is so stupid that this album is on this list that it makes it feel like doing this project is a waste of time and energy. I get it that "Sunday Shining" was big in the UK in 1997 but "Banditos" by The Refreshments was big in the US in 1996 and I in no way shape or form expect Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy to be on this list. For God's sake, there are no Toots and the Maytals albums on this list. A real reggae artist who made actual ground-breaking and influential albums that really do deserve to be heard. Instead we get this weird bland reggae imposter. This is insanity. Ultimately, this album is not bad. It is a completely nothing melding of reggae and trip hop that managed to strike a chord with a small group of people almost thirty years ago. That is fine. I am glad that Mr. Quaye had his moment in the sun. Or in the cold drizzle I suppose, since he was only big in the UK. There is nothing particularly offensive about this album, except for maybe the lyric "cause I'm a hero like Robert De Niro" and the fact that it is a Scottish person of Ghanaian descent doing a Jamaican accent. But why in the name of all that is holy would anyone need to hear this album before they die?! The answer is, they don't. Terrible pick.
2024-04-10...
Un álbum sumamente olvidable, al que no pude ponerle atención a ninguna canción. Ninguna experimentación destacable, si no más bien una reutilización en tono de "muzak" de los códigos del Reggae jamaiquino. La dilusión de identidad en este trabajo es tal, que carece de una identidad llamativa y se pierde como música de un growshop digno de Mall. No lo recomiendo, ni tampoco entiendo por qué está en la lista.
Oh, lekker zweverig. Reggae. Ik vind dit wel een verrassend leuk en gevarieerd album. Lekker man. ***
2*
Okey.
Not my type of music
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.
Reggae for white people with dreads.
I am not a raegee enjoyer. Some songs hit, some miss. In this case, most miss. If there would be more songs like "Your Love Gets Sweeter"... maybe... 2.5/5.
Very cool album, Finley's voice is great and the dub / raggae beats are infectious and immediately engaging. 3.5 stars
3.5
Surprisingly interesting
интересно, необычно, очень разные вайбы собраны в одном альбоме, но гармонично и цельно
интересный эксперимент, звучит крепко алкоальбом: джин тоник с канабисом
I went into this album thinking it was going to be corny, but I was surprised that I came out of it really liking it. I feel like this reggae album bridges into trip-hop which makes the best songs feel a lot better and more interesting than I find traditional reggae. There are a couple of duds towards the end of the album, but overall it was quite good. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. (Which could be abbreviated to 1, 3, 4, and 7).
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.
Oh man. This is what most excited me about going on this journey: stumbling across something/someone I am entirely unfamiliar with that I absolutely love! A few songs on this album are new favorites and I will be checking out more. More smooth butter on the heels of Norah Jones at #72.
This is not the Eels, but it is novocaine for the soul. Sunday Shining is a bright song that felt like a ray of sunshine on a particularly rainy day when I listened to it. Reggae, Soul, Jazz, and Funk are mixed to make... what? A Dance Pop album? I'm not sure, but this is probably sold close to where you find the Jamiroquai albums.
It's OK I just hope there's some real dub Reggae type stuff on the list like King Tubby, Scientist, Prince Douglas etc
Not bad, but it’s a melange of styles (dub, blues, soul, et al) that I don’t really get into.
Really good! Hoping to revisit it soon.
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!
Well, as a reggae album, this is a poor imitation. It certainly doesn’t have the soul and groove I associate with reggae.” On the other hand, it is SCOTTISH reggae, so that may explain it. But it doesn’t excuse it. Maybe it should’ve been classified (by the 1001albumgenerator folk) as something other than reggae? Perhaps generic late 90’s pop with hints reggae? Of course, those hints are mostly the singer’s seeminkgly fake Jamaican accent. There’s no real excuse for this being on a list of “must hear” albums. While not exactly offensive, nor is it the least bit memorable. It was a waste of an hour. Think I’ll go listen to some reggae after this. 1/5
I'm not familiar with this album or artist, and since I'm not a big reggae fan, I didn't have high hopes for this album. This album certainly wasn't great, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The lyrics and singing were the biggest weaknesses of the album by far. It felt like Finley wasn't singing with any conviction, and the lyrics just felt completely disingenuous. Maybe the vocals created that feeling, but either way, for a reggae album, this album felt pretty devoid of meaning and depth. Musically though, I thought this album had quite a few bright spots. On those bright spots, the arrangements were simple, but they sound great. Every element that Finley uses sounds great and placed really well. However, not being a big reggae fan, that wasn't enough for me to find this album really interesting or enjoyable. Overall, this was pretty below average for me, but people who like reggae might be able to get more out of it.
Had only vaguely heard of Finley before this, which is probably about right. Ultra Stimulation was OK
I liked Sunday Shining but couldn't get into any of the other songs
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
Liked some of the dub tracks - very chill
Cool dub/reggae sound with interesting vocals
After a week of duds, I’m glad to start off the week with this Gem 💎
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.
it's reggae that's not Bob
As not the typically biggest fan of reggaeton, this kinda soft and sanded off edges approach doesn't really do anything for me. It's also comically long and many of the tracks don't earn their runtime. 2/5
Not my strain of reggae.
Skön reagge-ish
Aldrig hört talas om karln. Helt okej men inte superspännande.
Wow, what a let down. I was excited for this, but other than even after all, it was a bit shite.
Örugglega fínt reggie .... ekki fyrir mig samt
Really enjoyed it
Nah
Totally irrelevant
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.
What a letdown after the Pixies....Milli Vannilli would have been preferable.
Album seemed really good I just wasn’t in the mood for it on this day.
This is what happens if you order Bob Marley on wish
i hate this guy's voice, haha. i tried, i couldn't.
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.
Ei tehnyt vaikutusta
I did not care for it. It was reggae music but it wasn't good. The vocals threw me off. No need to listen.
I listened (and really like it) before I read his bio. I stand by my rating.
elektro reaggea hip hop
nisam odusevljena
nije mi ovo bilo nes napeto
I thought this was very enjoyable! Turns out Luke was a fan of this album as a child, which tickles me as I didn't think at all this would be his thing. It was cool east listening.
This was really cool, loved it. I recognised the guys voice straight away then realised why when I heard 'Even after all'. It was on a compilation album put together by Jack Johnson that I used to listen to a lot. He's got a really cool voice.
I really enjoyed Sunday Shining and Supreme I Preme. In general it was just ok. Nice background music
Day45 - meh
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
Amazing work
Decent, and fairly engaging, and a bit fun – basically what you want from a well-made pop record. Personally, one finds his voice a tad annoying, but he uses it to most strong effect throughout. The album's incessant style jumping could also be off-putting, but given that it's all pretty enjoyable so feels silly to complain. It's encouraging when commercially successful and mass popularity offer at least this much sophistication and distinctiveness. "Even After All" and "Sweet and Loving Man" are easily the best cuts. One has the sense that one has heard much of this before, but can't quite place ... which may say something about its durability (or one's mental faculties) and which makes a 4 somewhat charitable, but it's less dated than other entries of this time and enjoyability does solve a lot of other problems, with pop music, as it should that pleasure is its basic job.
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
I guess anyone can make a reggae album but I was expecting this guy to be Jamaican. This was fine, a little boring.
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
3/10 - It was kind of a slog to listen to the whole album. I listened to the first half and did not enjoy it took a break and listened to the second half and still did not really enjoy it.
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
Did not enjoy this. It feels like an uncomfortable assault on my eardrums
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.
Interesting mix - reggae, R & B. Never heard of Finley before (by name), but certainly know him from his work with the Commodores!
Sure but probably not again
Ok, but still meh
Best find on the list so far!
Scottish/Ghanaian reggae. This artist never made it across the pond. The British bias is the only explanation for this album being on this list.
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
The only redeeming thing reggae has is interesting bass lines... Voice is a bit nasaly and pointy...
Thought it was going to be a full blown reggae album and was quite excited, but then it just descended into a mush of genres that just did not do it for me. Not unlistenable, hence 2 stars, but not great either.
Reggae-Aufguss!
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
annoying 👎
Kind of monotone ... like his voice tough
This was fine, but I am struggling to figure out why it's included here. Doesn't seem like the best example of the genre.
yeah, not great.
Great singles but a lot more filler than I remember. Worth three stars for "Even After All" though.
I really enjoyed this album. Definitely a good listen!
I think I missed whatever was great about this. It's just that I've heard better than this loads of times.
Why does this exist? 2/10
A lot of these songs just weren’t jamming. There was one song I liked “Sweet and Loving Man” otherwise the beats didn’t make me enthusiastic. Bob Marley is just better. Still good though. Just would not my top choice for reggae. 7/10
Wow. It's just so boring. The lyrics are almost nonsense just to meet the word quota and the music is extremely bland except on Supreme I Preme. I just would NEVER listen to any of these songs again. 2/10
This is like if someone listened to one Bob Marley album and said I can do that. Not quite reggae not quite R&B not quite rock not quite good. Very strange voice that just didn’t go with the instrumentals at all. Not a good sign when the most popular song is a remake of a Bob Marley song. I love reggae but this is not it. 2/10
A very British reggae/dancehall album, can hear the influence of the likes of the Happy Mondays and the Specials. Quaye (is that pronounced “key”?) has an average to below average voice, which really dampens the potential of these songs.There are some decent tracks, but mostly this is as bland as elevator music.
I love going into these albums blind. I had no idea what to expect. The first track sounds like electro Bob Marley. I love the bass lines on this album. The sounds range from Beatles strings to the grit of bands like the stooges and MC5. Red Rolled and Seen gives me a Tom Waits “earth died screaming” vibe. The groove on this track is incredible
Chill, kinda bob Marley feel-good vibes. I'd listen again
It’s good. Perhaps good background music. Just not something I’m going to come back to much. Highlights were Sunday Shining, Even After All, and Your Love Gets Sweeter. Added that last one to my favorites, at least.
duplicate
Nothing here I couldn’t get from listening to Bob Marley. Meh.
Interesting combination of Reggae and rock
Since starting this project, this was the first artist and album I hadn’t heard of. I wish it had stayed that way. There wasn’t much I could find enjoyable. I was ready for it to end and I had no appetite to give it another try.
Sounded oddly familiar.
Good music
except "Sunday Shining" there's not much I enjoy
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
2.5
Really enjoyed this album, will probably listen to more of this artist.
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.
Reggae van de Xenos. Sommige nummers die wat meer weg blijven bij de reggae zijn wel wat beter, maar de missers overstemmen op dit album de dingen die wel goed gaan. Wat mij betreft een onbegrijpelijke entry op deze lijst, maar geen verschrikkelijke muziek. Hoger dan een 2 kan ik niet verkopen aan m'n volgers.
it's whatever sunday shining supreme i preme
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
Don't know why this is here
Reggae. Me ha gustado. Un 4.
3.2
It's bad
Decent Reggae, nothing to write home about in my humble opinion, mon.
Not sure if it was Island music or what.
could i write poetry to this? n
Better than most run-of-the-mill Reggae music. The Dub and Soul elements brighten it up a bit. I can't find any credits for the additional musicians on the album. Did he play all the instruments himself? That being said... it's still just Reggae. "Reggae... It's a good song."
Not really sure this should be required listening
Not terrible, just kind of run of the mill. There are much better Reggae and Dancehall albums that are not in the book for some reason.
I didn't hate it, but I can't imagine anyone saying that it's "essential." it's just fine.
That’s it, I’m calling for a constitutional convention among the users of this site. For too long, we have been subjected to the whim and whimsy of one “Robert Dimery” and the time has come for us to agree upon some self-evident truths. It is high time that we free ourselves from the tyranny of mediocrity. Are we not civilized beings, should we not be allowed to once again hold our heads high, unburdened by the choices made by one man several decades ago? As such, I have drafted the first article of our bill of rights, a reference point to be used by any user in good standing with the site: We, the people of the 1001 albums generator community, do hereby establish the following: Article I Section I. When, in the course of daily listening, a user encounters an album or artist that no reasonable person has talked about in 25 years, the user may apply “The Rule” when providing a poor rating of the album. Section II. “The Rule” states the following- If you haven’t heard anyone of sound body and mind talk about the suggested album or artist in 20 years or more, the album can be deemed inessential on such grounds. Section III. No user shall be admonished for applying “The Rule” to an album, so long as the criteria laid out in Section I appears to have been met.
Nothing to dislike here.
Decent reggae music though not quite understand why this album is on the list.
Ok firstly, not really into reggae/dub like I was in my teens and early 20s, but I think it’s safe to say that’s not why I don’t like this. The singing is bad. It’s clear that he’s from Scotland and not Jamaica. Had he not tried to sound Jamaican, which he did somewhat poorly, it might be worth putting on in the background. But I couldn’t make it through this. 1/5
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
Pseudo reggae, bad pop music
Man...so much of this album is just noise to me. The instrumentals on their own might be decent, but his voice is very difficult to hear for nearly an hour.
Hmm, can't say I'm expecting much from this. I can imagine this one mystifying our American friends. The pop reggae of track 1 can do one, but track 2 was pretty good and different. I've heard Sunday Shining a million times and I'm not sure I've ever missed it in the intervening period. There's a dub track which made my speaker vibrate. It's all just fine, really. The last few tracks feel like barely fleshed out demoes with lashings of production on top. Reading about Finley Quaye now he appears to be something of a tragic figure. Even so, I don't think this should be in the book and I'm rating it as such. Also I have just noticed the distinct lack of proper ska albums in the book, which makes this inclusion particularly egregious.
December 2, 2023 HL: “Supreme I Preme”, "Sunday Shining", "Even After All" Like the guy's voice, and where some of the reggae/electronic was going but ultimately this felt like a lot of nice filler 2.5
I found this to be a bit of an underwhelming reggae record that try to incorporate different elements but ultimately didn't bring too much to the table.
2.5
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.
Almost reggae?
the production is good...
Pretty meh reggae
Not my vibe
Wel oke maar niet top
Manipulative. I could literally see the puppet strings pull as I listened. I've never heard someone so eager to point out how the sausage was made. And I'm pretty sure this wasn't even sausage.
Hmmm a Scottish man singing in a fake Jamaican accent... no thanks. Sounded ok if I switched my brain off to the reality of how in authentic he is.
Not a huge fan, liked a couple of tracks.
Meh.
Is this really from 26 years ago? Back in the 1990s I took an ill-advised job as a door-to-door lead generator for a double glazing company. Five of us would climb into a decade-old Ford Granada and get ourselves to some part of town where we'd knock on people's doors and ask them if they'd like double glazing. Surprisingly few people did. A couple of things stick very clearly in my mind from that awful fortnight. The first is the the driver of the Ford Granada had spent more money on the car's stereo than he had on the actual car. The second is that he didn't have a driving licence. Or insurance. Pretty sure he didn't tax it, either. Any rate, the stereo was pretty good; CD players in cars, especially cars as old as a Granada, were incredibly rare. Most that could play CDs were serviced by a cassette adaptor plugged into a Sony Discman stuck to the dashboard, and this was exactly the situation here. Each day one of the five would bring in a CD to listen to as we were driven from area to area to flog double glazing. Even after all this time (see what I did there?) I remember that one of the people enjoying the back seat of that enormous Ford was a girl called Hannah, who brought this CD with her one day. And it was by far and away the best album anyone brought along for the whole ten days I dragged my teenage arse to that terrible job. Looking back, I have absolutely no concern about what the rat-like Granada driver did with his life, if anything. I couldn't care less what the other two scrotey teenage boys have become. But I do wonder if Hannah ever amounted to anything, with her impeccably awesome music taste. This album is the easiest five stars of the week, and I wish I'd spent more time with it over the past twenty years, with its lovely wobbly bass, catchy tunes and questionable appropriation. No, it isn't authentic. It doesn't have to be. Listen to it, relax to it and enjoy the vibes.
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.
I was actually in the mood for reggae, but this album just kinda fell flat to me.
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
Some bits of this i like but they are outweighed by the cod fake reggae and roots songs that are cringeworthy at times. Not for me.
Hmmmm it was ok
I love this album. Always have. I had it on cassette years ago and used to listen in the car. I still regularly hit it up when I need something summery and light. It aged beautifully and I’m so glad to have a reason to listen again
a general bop 7/10
nice slice of Reggae - shouldn't read other reviews but why are so many on this site obsessed with things outside the actual music? Must be a generational thing where they're used to cancelling anyone slightly different and instead worship blandness with Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. Anyway this is nice and chilled with easy beats. 4
Tämä oli hyvä! Tosi mukavaa dubia.
idk man i think the "must hear before you die" quality of these albums is very questionable from the 90s on. i knew sunday shining before listening to this album, but that's it. there's a couple decent songs here, but finley is just not a good singer. 2.5/5
Not my style.
i never heard of this till now which is illuminating because it’s pretty great
Better than expected, still very mid
I don't think the scots need to be making reggae, especially with a fake accent???
Reggae pop? Is that a thing? Well it certainly feels like it here. I dug this sound quite a bit. I wish we had more like this throughout the list.
Scottish reggae? Didn't know that was a thing. Couple songs I enjoyed, the rest of it didn't leave a mark. Reggae isn't really my taste in general, and this one didn't break the mold for me. Favorite tracks: Even After All, I Need a Lover. Album art: I take it that's a picture of Finley. Looks better than most portrait-style covers, I think it's styled well. Digital clock font is an interesting choice. Overall, not bad. 2.5/5
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
some VERY swanky background guitar you barely hear the fact he's scottish... 2,5* but lets round that down to 2
There were a few standouts on the record. The record is very mid/late 90s underground vibe which was fun.
Not my preferred genre but this was fun. Lots of good details to make the songs feel less interchangeable.
"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
Good singer, but I found myself enjoying the instrumentals more than the singing. No real takeaways from this one.
It's good but Finley doesn't have a distinct sound Otherwise this would score much higher
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Even after all, Your love gets sweeter
Never heard this. Really liked it. Obviously some Bob Marley vibes, but a really unique "psychedelic reggae" feel to the whole thing. I was also getting a real Sam Cooke vibe from his voice as well - which was awesome.
I thought it was a nice pleasant album but when I read that this dude is actually Scottish and has been putting on a Jamaican accent so to fit it into the reggae sound it just felt... weird? Anyway, thought the music was generally positive. 5/10.
Not a fan of the reggae, but this was fairly inoffensive.
Not very exciting. Feels like a strong contender for "album you don't really need to listen to before you die"
Cod reggae for Generation X. This guy is a violent piece of shit.
The first half or 2/3rds of the album was great, but it kind of lost the magic toward the end. Overall solid though
Great album. I really enjoyed this album. I would rate it higher if it was released around early 80s
Mostly passed by me, some unique sounds but that's about it
Interesting listening. This would be good to just chill with or put on in the background.
Very chill
Album #13 I was not familiar with this artist or album and went into this listen blind. I am a fan of late 90s-early 00s trip hop, so hearing that familiar dub sound was a pleasant surprise. It kind of had a Thievery Corporation meets Zero 7 vibe going for it. Some of the lyrics seemed repetitive or redundant despite being different songs. I don't know why, but I got a "poser" feeling from some of them, but I can't really believe the judge of that, especially since it is not my culture. Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't something that I'm dying to listen to again. If it randomly came on, I doubt I'd skip it. 3.5* rounded up to 4*
Ugh. Do not want.
10/10 what genre is this?? post-reggae?! it sounds awesome!!
Nothing special really
Pleasant
Svolítið conflicted hérna. Lögin eru oft í grunninn fín, ágætt grúv og áhugaverð, sérstaklega fyrri hluti plötunnar, en ég er bara ekki að dansa við þessa rödd og þetta wannabereggaevæb. Bara ekki.
There were a couple of songs I enjoyed but I would not listen to that album again front to back.
If there was a dedicated algorithm, quantifying music that I love, I doubt Finley Quaye would make an appearance. However, I absolutely love him. My favourite song of his, Dice, is not on here, but I can’t play any Finley Quaye without bookending it with that song. The timbre of his voice, the beats, the melodies – I’m sold. Unfortunately, he’s in the news at the moment for domestic disturbances and aggravating his ex-partner. Such a shame when that just tarnishes a beautiful body of work.
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.
Sunday Shining got my attention as it was a rather interesting cover/interpolation of a minor Bob Marley tune. But the rest of it? Cool sounds, but I really didn't find his lyrics interesting, nor do I really see why this is a must-listen-before-I-die.
Excellent 90s shag and spliff vibes, groovy
Listenable. Just not my thing.
I did not need to listen to this before i die
It's a bit odd listening to reggae with the instrumentation of late 90s alt rock
Better than I expected
What words can be used to describe this album? Boring. Derivative. Uninteresting. Why is this guy in the book instead of actual reggae. That part of the genre is super underrepresented, but apparently this is straight-up one of the best reggae albums. No. Just no. Also, he has ancestry from Ghana, apparently, but come on, he’s just another white guy. This is nowhere near as bad as what I’m about to mention, but it kind of reminds me of a joke in one South Park episode where a guy finds out he has 3% black DNA and says… that word… to a coworker. Not that similar, I just think it’s funny and wanted to mention it. Anyway, screw this guy. Also back to school (pain).
I am cringing at the fact he is utilizing a Jamaican accent whilst singing, but in interviews he has the accent of a Londoner... Besides that, the tracks were barely average with some standouts (that I definitely will revisit), kind of a forgettable record all around. Vocals are mostly not great, with the exception of a few tracks... Yeah this isn't passing the mid allegations I'm afraid. Favourites: It's Great When We're Together / Even After All / Your Love Gets Sweeter
Tails off toward the end but the singles are all high quality. Generous 4.
Definitely don’t need to listen to Scottish Reggae.
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
A surprisingly good album. I never heard it at the time and was surprised by the depth and variety. Even After All and Sunday Shining are the standouts, but there are so many great little moments - the use of the Amen break in Ride on, the sweet little rock n roll rhythm in Your Love Gets Sweeter, the trip-hop atmosphere on Supreme... The lyrics are quite stream-of-consciousness - sometimes this works really well, sometimes it's a little repetitive, but as an album to put on for a laid back Sunday evening, you couldn't do better. So close to being 5 star, but the lyrics (and a couple of filler tracks in I Need A Lover and Red Rolled and Seen) drop it to a 4. Well worth a listen though.
It was alright. Didn’t love his voice. 3 stars.
One of mi nineties preferred
One can live a full and complete life without ever hearing of this album, let alone actually listening to it. Yes, at the time there were a couple of hits from the album, but no, they left as much of an impression as a fart in the wind.
No thanks!
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
Why? 4/10
Decent but I don't miss listening to it
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
I just do not like raggae
PREFS : It's Great When We're Together, Sunday Shining, Your Love Gets Sweeter MOINS PREF : Supreme I Preme
Maybe they just thought there needed to be more reggae or dub on this list. Otherwise, this is incredibly forgettable. Can't figure out why it is on this list. Sounds like a white guy trying to do reggae.
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
2.5
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
Cool, refreshing, vibe of reggae meets psychedelia with velvety smoothe vocals topping off the whole concoction. A keeper from the start.
Listenable! Unobjectionable! Some of its, dare I say, nice, even!
2.5/5
Quite relaxing raegge, really liked the bass work in there.
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.
Unfortunately I found this record quite boring and a bit too long.
Really quite good. Surprised.
I kind of like this. Pretty cool sound very original sound.
neat reggae album
There are many interesting moments on this album, though overall, it does fall fairly flat to me. Seems at times to blend R&B aspects with traditional Reggae roots. Album takes advantage of lots of space, feels a bit unfulfilling at points, but that is more due to personal style.
This was unique British pop but caught my ear a few times.
So many many many great reggae albums have been created and are not on this list. Why this mediocre one is, God only knows…🤔
Duktigt, bra sjunget, några fina retroreggaevibbar men rätt lättviktigt.
Good lord, there's a blast from the past. I think I must've had this on cassette, I know all the songs so I must've done, and it still sounds really good to this day. Highly enjoyable, infantile lyrics (and Jamaican accent) but really great beats, rhythm and sounds (hence the mobo award). Added back to collection without hesitation. Great to bring myself up to speed with his shenanigans, only to find out he headbutted his (terminally ill) mate because he wouldn't turn game of thrones off, for which he was fined and given 225 hours unpaid work, was declared bankrupt with over £383k debts and was kicked off stage by an organiser because he was intoxicated. Jolly album though, can barely tell he was born in Edinburgh.
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
Fun album that’s fairly varied on top of it’s reggae sound
Ingenting bunger
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.
very reggae
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
This was an interesting blend of reggae, soul, and dub but ultimately it feels as though it has a lack of depth. What we really have here is a Scottish musician who is putting on. Fake Jamaican accent and making very sanitized reggae-like music for mass consumption. It’s not a total loss as the music itself is inoffensive and occasionally had quite a nice groove to it.
Not into it, though I do like the first track. The dubbier stuff I'm into. Like the drum production.
When the first notes hit, I was super excited. Felt very reggae-ska. As it went on though, I became less and less into it.
Not bad. Odd for it to be on a list such as this but I’m sure there’ll be worse. Like George Michaels for instance.
Eh. It's alright. Inoffensive. Which, now that I think of it, is kind of a problem for reggae. Isn't this supposed to be a protest genre? Hmm. There goes another star...
Was going to rate it a 1 initially, but it actually, surprisingly, gets a bit better as you keep listening to it
Très Chill et Smooth. J'ai aimé l'écoute et aussi le résultats de l'algorithme après. 3.75
Finley Quaye's best song (“Dice”) isn’t on this album, but this album is just as perfectly mellow. Wonderful listening experience.
Inessential
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
There's some songs on here that I enjoy like "Sunday Shining" and "Supreme I Preme", but the rest of it is either a bit boring or doesn't make me feel much. I hate "I Need a Lover".
Really enjoyed this. And nice to see a reggae album make a list from an artist I’d never heard of
I wad kinda excited about this album because I like the song Dice which was the only song I'd ever heard of. Didn't love this though