Additional information
Producers: Groove Armada, Cameron McVey, Paul Simm. "Easy" was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. 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 down the path of production gloss. The opener, "Purple Haze," features Nappy Roots backed by a restrained guitar grind, while Richie Havens (making a repeat appearance) contributes yet another deeply felt performance on "Hands of Time." "Final Shakedown" rips 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, rides a groove straight out of the Clash's "Magnificent Seven," with a solid sung-spoken rap by M.A.D. Another 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. ~ John Bush
Reviews
Rolling Stone (2/6/03, p.60) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...The album's wanton schizophrenia results in such a switched-on pileup of styles that Groove Armada have earned their rubric - call it electrocrash, and consider it great..." Entertainment Weekly (1/24/03, p.100) - "...LOVEBOX rarely disappoints, especially if you can get with its message: No parking on the dance floor" - Rating: A- Uncut (12/02, p.130) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...This is the basement sound of east London, a stew of funk noir and mashed-up rhythms..." Mojo (Publisher) (11/02, p.110) - "...A slick, clever and diverse set of populist dance and digi-rock songs..."
