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Title: Groove Armada – Vertigo (1999) [Reissue 2002]
Genre: Electronic, Dance
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Groove Armada’s second album finds the pair expanding on the sonic range of 1998’s Northern Star, spreading out to Franco-electronic pop (“Dusk, You and Me”), big-beat techno (“If Everybody Looked the Same”), and laid-back funk grooves (the masterpiece titled “At the River”). Though it often seems they’re throwing change-ups more to show listeners what they can do, Vertigo achieves the effortless grace of a varied repertoire.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Groove Armada – Lovebox (2002)
Genre: Electronic, Dance
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Though Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Tom Findlay have been justly praised for their production talents, the duo’s fourth album, Lovebox, takes them much too far down the path of production gloss, right on into the field of bland MOR electronica. It’s a staler, tradder version of 2001’s Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub), which was pretty middle-of-the-road on its own. The opener, “Purple Haze,” features Nappy Roots backed by a restrained guitar grind, but the pair can’t summon the righteous production skills that made “Suntoucher” (with Jeru the Damaja) the highlight of their previous record. Even Neneh Cherry sounds average and maudlin when she’s shoved into the Groove Armada grinder, while Richie Havens (making a repeat appearance) contributes yet another deeply felt performance that resists making any kind of impression. “Final Shakedown” is downright derivative, ripping a page from the Basement Jaxx book, with a swinging, slapping house production and the ragga-tinged vocals of Red Rat. “Madder,” the only track on the album performed by a band, is also the only one that doesn’t sound calculated, riding a groove straight out of the Clash’s “Magnificent Seven” and with a solid sung-spoken rap by M.A.D. The only other track that works well is “Remember,” a gradually ascending epic with a sampled Sandy Denny vocal (lifted from Fairport Convention’s Unhalfbricking) echoed by the affirmations of the London Community Gospel Choir. Sapping their tracks of any energy or creativity, Groove Armada have only their production smarts to fall onto, and it’s simply not enough to distinguish the record.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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Title: Groove Armada – Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) (2001)
Genre: Electronic, Dance
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Far more than just a sampladelic trip-hop group by their third full album jaunt, Groove Armada began solidifying its reputation as one of the most copacetic production acts in electronica, equally comfortable building grooves behind folkie Richie Havens, disco maverick Nile Rodgers, and underground rapper Jeru the Damaja (yes, all three make appearances). The pair kick it off in grand style, recruiting Jeru (one of the most underrated rappers in the hip-hop world) for “Suntoucher,” a breathtaking production that seeks the middle ground between a classy spy soundtrack and a classic rap track (straight out of DJ Premier’s playbook). The trailer single, “Superstylin’,” is another great track, a smooth, swift fusion of acid house and dub with the chatting of frequent collaborator Mike Daniels. Groove Armada isn’t just branching out from “juvenile” sampladelia to more “mature” band productions, the duo’s getting better at making music. Unfortunately, problems arise when the pair mature so far they soon reach the bland, ultra-smooth side of adult contemporary. The two features for Richie Havens (“Little By Little,” “My Friend”) are prime examples; the bright acoustic guitar and Havens’ wizened growl are the only “edgy” elements in the entire productions. “Lazy Moon” and “Fogma,” a pair of solid instrumentals, bring it back slightly, though Groove Armada would be served best by sinking back into the underground and not adjusting its sensibilities to its collaborators, no matter how respected they are.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

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