Leftfield soul music for the 21st century
01/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I think the album is amazing, with enough sonic playfulness to keep me entertained until Lewis Taylor decides to release more new material (hopefully it won't take 4 more years). "Party," the opening track, is a surprise the first time you hear it, as it takes cues from the solid funk Mr. Taylor displays on the b-side "Got Me Thinking All About It," from the "Lucky" single. My favourite track (as I understand, the track Mr. Taylor wants to be the single) is easily "You Make Me Wanna." Starting with a deliciously wicked bassline, it delivers an amazing sense of soulful tension until the drums kick in, and then the chorus jumps into an emphatic bridge... very cool stuff. The next song, "The Way You Done Me," is the one that still mystifies me since it breaks away from standard pop syncopation and the whole concept of 4/4 time. If anyone can tell me what the time signature of this song is, I'd be very appreciative. The song otherwise reminds me of a more aggressive version of his first album's "Whoever." The track "Never Be My Woman," for whatever reason, sounds an awful lot like something that could have come from D'Angelo's last album, stripped down and bluesy yet quirky (those slightly-off-rhythm vocals). I also really liked "I'm On The Floor" and "Lewis II." I have the Japanese import version of the CD, and it contains TWO bonus tracks: a cover of Jeff Buckley's "Everybody Here Wants You" (which I have a tendency to skip over) and a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland" (very Muzak sounding -- seemingly too clean & too straight ahead for a proper Hendrix cover, but it succeeds in its lush production quality and harmonies)."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1