Faithless: Jaime Catto (vocals, guitar); Maxi Jazz (vocals); Dave Randall (guitar); Sister Bliss (keyboards).
Additional personnel: Rachael Brown, Boy George, Dido (vocals); Paulie (guitar); Andy Gangadene (drums); Sudha (percussion); Rollo, Ibi Tijani (programming); DJ Swamp (scratches); Pauline Taylor, Imani Saleem, Shannon Stewart (background vocals).
Engineers: Phill Brown, Nick Kirkland, Goetz.
Recorded at Swanyard Studios, London, England. Includes liner notes by Rollo.
Faithless enhances its reputation as a purveyor of great music, dance or otherwise, demonstrating an uncommon ability to blend musical styles into a coherent album. SUNDAY 8PM is a very emotional record- sometimes euphoric and confident, at other times paranoid and fragile Vocalists play a large part in this. Boy George proves barely recognisable in his guest spot on the tender and pleading "Why Go," while Faithless rapper Maxi Jazz offers such choice verbal cuts as the brooding "Bring My Family Back" and the uplifting Euro house of "God is a DJ."
The instrumental tracks are no less effective. SUNDAY 8PM opens with a moment of lush, blissed-out piano music. The majestic "Take the Long Way Home," led by a gorgeous cello melody, is outstanding. Another track even samples Erik Satie. It all adds up to provide a revealing snapshot of musical trends at the turn of the century. This is a remarkable record, unanimously acclaimed in the British press as a landmark album.
What the critics say...
Rolling Stone (11/12/98, p.119) - "...a record of languorous grooves, soft beats and sparse computer effects. For this British quintet, a mere tempo change can signal a genre shift: from reggae dub to trip-hop and then to moody pop..."
Q (11/98, p.116) - 3 stars (out of 5) - "...towering over the album is Maxi Jazz, rapping taut poetry over such bittersweet syphonies..."
Q (12/99, p.156) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...palatable, articulate dance music situated midway between the smoky intimacy of Massive Attack and the podium at trance superclub Gatecrasher, with acoustic guitars and gospel thrown in for good measure..."
Mixmag (1/99, p.49) - Included in Mixmag's "Ten Best Albums of 98" - "...Rollo and friends keep the same formula: splice folky trip hop to boshing epic house..."
