REVIEW: Compass by Jamie Lidell

3 out of 5

Lidell is one of those artists who doesn’t seem to sit still on one single style for long, but if you look closer at his track record (excuse the pun) his past five releases have ranged in style from electronica, to funk, to soul, to gospel. You can see it all and more coming together in Compass. This album goes even further with a rock and sometimes blues edge on some tracks while others lean towards an 80s RnB Pop-swing; it’s an intriguing listen, especially as the album kicks off with a Beatbox. This 14-track studio album is full of what Jamie is good at, a hybrid of styles that keep on developing and the further you listen through the album, the better and more interesting it gets. There are many who participated as the project developed, notably productions by Chris Taylor from Brizzly Bear and the musical talent of Leslie Feist, Beck, Dan Rothchild, Nikka Costa, Pat Sansone, and Chilli Gonzales. Compass is eclectic yet indicative of Jamie’s artistic status, the album exhibits maturity in sound, talent awareness, motive, and fine experimental inquisitiveness.

Don Luchito