In the early 2000s, in one of the more pronounced (and successful)
stylistic switch-ups I’ve heard of since, like, ever, British IDM dude
Jamie Lidell traded in his electronic madness for an earnest blue-eyed
sharkskin soul-man suit—and goddamn if it didn’t work! The
sincere pop/R&B genius of 2005’s Multiply went from
critical list topper to Target commercial theme in less than three
moves, surprising the hell out of his label, pioneering
electronic/indie house Warp Records, in the process.
Multiply‘s insanely on-point combo of warm, beat-happy
underpinnings and lover-man crooning merely set the table for the
steamin’ stacked plate that is Jim, an album you’d better just
get now so you can digest it before the radio, the TV, and everyone
else plays it out for you. Jim finds Jamie still further from
his experimental roots, going whole hog on an instant vintage Motown
kick—and killing it. God knows it could’ve too easily
veered into Jamiroquai funkcheese or John Legend supper-club soul, but
Lidell (with the help of Canuck multi-instrumentalist Mocky and piano
man Gonzales) keeps things raw and sweetly tuneful, swelling up with
enough ecstatic chest-gone-burst soul that you can’t help but forgive
the Little Stevie Wonder swagger jack. I know it’s not exactly breaking
down walls in 2008 to emulate classic R&B, but, damn, when it’s
done right and real, it’s compelling, timeless music (fuck y’all
over-it-alls—Mary J. Blige loves Amy Winehouse, and I do,
too).
I just know this all is gonna end up in heartbreak,
though—Jamie blowing sky high, singing the theme to Monday Night
Football, doing albums with Danger Mouse and rapping on Will.i.am songs. You, cool guy, you’ll say you
always hated him as you sip your fucking bubble tea, and I’ll be forced
to hear my current favorite song ever, “Figured Me Out,” on commercials
for Match.com and shit. Fuck it, I’ll
live.
Architect
Gymnast
Mariner
Bagman