Albums to watch

Compass

Jamie Lidell

Compass

Fourth album of modern soul from Manhattan-based Englishman produced by Beck

ADM rating[?]

7.1

Label
Warp
UK Release date
17/05/2010
  1. 8.0 |   The Times

    A fantastic voice that effortlessly shifts from the soulful bellow of Free’s Paul Rodgers to the sweet croon of Al Green
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  2. 8.0 |   God Is In The TV

    It is a rather brave album to make but yet again he has pulled off the unexpected with consummate ease and emphatic style
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  3. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Q

    Though his voice remains vintage, his creative spirit has been rejuvinated. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Clash

    Truly it’s soul music informed by all the developments in music since the genre’s golden age - no mean feat for music, never mind Lidell
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  6. 8.0 |   Scotland on Sunday

    Pared-back soul truckers, stitched together against the odds by Lidell's intuitive vocal and minimalist arrangements
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  7. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Jamie remains a curious cat and Compass won’t change that - but this is a gripping addition to the work of a singularly compelling artist
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  8. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Most of the time Lidell knows when to pull back from a derivative sound, his own instincts urging him to explore once again
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  9. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    The one thing that stands tall is Lidell’s voice. It’s lovely and warm and real, and no matter what effects he pulls out of his techno trick bag, he can’t disguise the truth that he is a wonderfully talented singer
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  10. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Lidell's vocals are alternately anguished and joyous but always supple. Quite a ride. Print edition only

  11. 7.8 |   Beats Per Minute

    A gleefully weird and off-kilter album by a musician who seems to keep growing stronger and more consistent with every record
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  12. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    Lidell loses focus on tracks like the depressive, atmospheric piece "Big Drift," but he spends much of Compass showing how to be a smoothie and a weirdo
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  13. 7.0 |   Spin

    That he's become close with Beck is fitting, and here the two share songwriting and production credits
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  14. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    The best way to appreciate Compass is to follow the bread crumbs Jamie Lidell leaves on the trail and be prepared for anything. Somewhere, you’ll discover a pot of gold just for you
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  15. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Lidell is an interesting proposition, not always an easily digestible one, but that's sure as heck preferable to the whitebread public school boys peddling 'soul' nowadays
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  16. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    An album which seems to be lost in itself, not quite knowing which direction to turn in and then ultimately deciding to just run off in all of them, all at once. And although that's not ideal, it's no bad thing
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  17. 7.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Most of it works, and damn near all of it is interesting, but it makes for an incredibly uneven listen that never settles down enough to make a lasting impression
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  18. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    Though he offers some of his most impressive and experimental numbers to date, due to Compass’s continual up-and-down nature it’s unlikely to make the impression of either of his two previous albums
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  19. 6.6 |   Pitchfork

    A transitional record, an in-betweener, one that Lidell may eventually look back on as a door to something else. The good news for all of us is that even when he's down, he's not out
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  20. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    The Feist and Beck-featuring Big Drift and You See My Light’s aching gospel together burn brightest amongst Lidell’s tweaked take on his neo-soul formula
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  21. 6.0 |   NME

    Lidell gives us a tour of soul through his geographically-removed ears
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  22. 6.0 |   Under The Radar

    In an album unified by a sense of relentless movement, the highlights prove that when Lidell finds a singular, party-starting direction, he's unstoppable
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  23. 6.0 |   Eye Weekly

    A lovely mess that’s worth some undivided listening attention
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  24. 4.0 |   The Independent

    Wisps and fragments of instrumentation flutter and squawk behind Lidell's distorted vocal beatboxing, without seeming to alight on a definite melody
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Jamie Lidell: Compass

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Completely Exposed £0.99
  • 2. Your Sweet Boom £0.99
  • 3. She Needs Me £0.99
  • 4. I Wanna Be Your Telephone £0.99
  • 5. Enough’s Enough £0.99
  • 6. The Ring £0.99
  • 7. You Are Waking £0.99
  • 8. I Can Love Again £0.99
  • 9. It’s A Kiss £0.99
  • 10. Compass £0.99
  • 11. Gypsy Blood £0.99
  • 12. Coma Chameleon £0.99
  • 13. Big Drift £0.99
  • 14. You See My Light £0.99
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