Jamie Lidell
Compass (Warp)

Blending soul and electronica isn’t an easy task but Jamie Lidell makes it happen. This isn’t just for the most attuned ears—it’s accessible stuff.

Every neo-soulster needs some bump-and-grind attitude and Lidell’s got it. “I Wanna Be Your Telephone” features the lyrics “Breathe into my mouthpiece, baby” and “Push my buttons with your tender tongue/Whisper to me till I can’t get enough.”

But the British-born Manhattanite also knows how to lay on the tenderness. The delicate title track features a swoon-worthy chorus: “Now I know the only compass that I need/Is the one that leads back to you”.

Compass features guest spots from Beck, Feist, Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, Nikka Costa, and Afro-sporting Berlin native Snax. This is a record that puts listeners through their paces for all of its 50 minutes. It opens up heavy with “Completely Exposed”, lightens up with “Your Sweet Boom”, and then slows down completely with “She Needs Me”, soon to be a staple on any baby-making soundtrack.

The erratic flow continues throughout the album; “Enough’s Enough” is a peppy number that features a mean flute while the ballad “Big Drift” and the almost inaudible “You Are My Light” close out the disc.

While this isn’t the most cohesive release, it suggests that Lidell will continue to blend genres in a way that will have you coming back for more—maybe just in a different order than the track listing.

Jamie Lidell plays Venue on Monday (June 14).

Download This: “I Wanna Be Your Telephone”