Jamie Lidell
It\'s been quite a journey for Jamie Lidell since 2005\'s *Multiply*. We\'ve seen him take center stage as a soulful crooner on *Jim*, only to almost drop that act entirely while finding new energy in the texturally heavy avant-songwriting journey of 2010\'s *Compass*. Here, on his appropriately self-titled fifth album, Lidell turns inward and references his artistic roots. The raw funkiness and wild synth jabs of Parliament\'s \"Flashlight\" can be heard on \"You Know My Name,\" while the rolling \"Big Love\" plays like a driving Bobby Brown single. Fans of Lidell\'s more experimental work will find something to latch onto in the potent, gritty \"What a Shame\" and the sultry, post–Tom Waits \"Why Ya Why.\" Jamie Lidell is as funky and as at-home as ever on this record. He\'s come full circle over the last decade and is all the better for it.
Jamie Lidell faithfully recreates every Reagan baby's favorite rollerskate jams, trading in pop funk with some obvious forebears-- the Minneapolis sound of Prince and Jam/Lewis, Stevie Wonder circa In Square Circle, and red codpiece-era Cameo-- given a subtle IDM reworking.
After working in the Berlin club scene for a decade, Jamie Lidell’s breakout moment was his 2005 album, Multiply, an unexpected fusion of Prince and Autechre that convincingly argued that Intelligent Dance Music is better when it’s actually danceable. His fusion of the minimal structure and hypnotic clicks and whirs…
On his tight self-titled opus, Lidell insists on redeeming that which he would say doesn’t need saving in the first place.
A fresh start in life has inspired Lidell to explore his love of 80s funk, as well as smooth homages to Prince, writes <strong>Caroline Sullivan</strong>