Jamie Lidell does it again

Jamie Lidell possesses that confident, funky swagger and musical ingenuity that straddles genres and backgrounds. I find this white kid from Cambridgeshire, England so proficient in unleashing new blends of sounds that every new effort from him is a pleasure to dive into. Even in the back of a black cab, riding around somewhere in London, armed only with a few sampling tools and his totally un-self-conscious musical presence, he creates something marvelous.

Antiquiet perfectly captured it when they wrote: “It made us think of some of Michael Jackson’s early demos. There’s this great version of Beat It, where he lays down the beat, the guitar, the harmonies, the backups, every single layer of the song just by overdubbing his humming into a 4-track recorder. We’ll always be in awe of artists who can so completely envision and effortlessly express a song.”

The Ring – Jamie Lidell

Compass (out today on Warp Records) brings back Lidell’s unique soul that struts and oozes like Prince or James Brown, with guest songwriting assists from both Beck and Feist and help from Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor and Wilco’s Pat Sansone. First listens are eclectic and powerfully fantastic.

And for good measure, this is arguably my favorite Jamie Lidell song from 2005′s Multiply (you should see me prepare for and then execute that drum fill that starts at 0:45; it’s breathtaking) -

Music Will Not Last – Jamie Lidell

JAMIE LIDELL TOUR DATES
06.09: Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe
06.10: Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
06.12: Toronto, ON – The Mod Club
06.14: Vancouver, BC – Venue
06.16: Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
06.18: San Francisco, CA – The Independent
06.19: Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre