Jamie Lidell - Jim

Warp

There can’t be many modern musical journeys as strange and unique as that of Jamie Lidell. It’s quite a leap from the glitchy electro of debut Muddlin Gear to the future-funk of 2005’s Multiply, which saw him performing the title track accompanied by Jools Holland’s trademark boogie-woogie piano on Later.

What marks him out, of course, is that voice. Christ, can he sing – his is a remarkable, rich soul growl that recalls Prince, Otis Redding and Stevie Wonder. Jim picks up where Multiply left off, delving further into old-school soul territory – any of the superb opening four tracks could genuinely hold their own on a ‘Best Of Motown’ compilation. Try listening to ‘Another Day’, ‘Wait For Me’ or ‘Out Of My System’ without a big stupid grin spreading across your face. It can’t be done. Elsewhere, the aptly-named ‘Hurricane’ is an absolutely riotous slice of riff-heavy funk, ‘Where D’You Go’ a stupendous soul stomp. Contemplative closer ‘Rope of Sand’ shows that Lidell can also turn his hand to dark-hued folk.

Adventurous arrangements abound throughout, and it almost goes without saying that it’s superbly sung – Lidell’s voice is truly a joy. Only once does he come close to dropping the baton, on ‘Green Light’ – it’s actually a great tune, but one which lifts in rather too blatant a fashion the melody of ‘Runnin’ Away’ by Sly Stone. Cheeky, Jamie! That aside, Jim might disappoint Warp purists looking for Squarepusher-esque weird-outs, but for everyone else it will be a sheer delight. Neill Dougan

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DOWNLOAD: ‘ANOTHER DAY’, ‘WAIT FOR ME’, ‘WHERE D’YOU GO’, ‘ROPE OF SAND’.
FOR FANS OF: PRINCE, SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, MOTOWN.

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