Customer Reviews

Reverence

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album is not for everyone. I mean it's not for musical heathens and anyone that says it's terrible is an imbecile! It requires a highly sophisticated understanding of what excellent music and art really are. This album is one of the greatest of our time. Each time you listen it seems new. It evolves and if you're lucky enough to be someone that evolves themselves, this music is for life. "Insomnia" is the epitome of life it's a song that makes you feel alive. It has the power to evoke a multitude of emotions, it makes you think of life itself, It makes you think of changing your life. If I were stranded on a desert island this would be in my top five for all time.
Faithless are absolute brilliance.

Faithless first came out in 1996 and released what was going to become a classic, "Insomnia" which is a very unique dance track. Faithless is not only about dance however, their music influents changes from song to song, so don't be surprised if you hear something completely diffrent then the the hit single "Insomnia" here. There are also a few diffrent singers on the album. Jamie Catto that is somehow the frontfigure on the outside, Dido with others.

Faithless is Rollo and Sister Bliss, Maxi Jazz and Jamie Catto however, the first 2 started of as house producers and were behind some good songs in the early 90's, Faithless is far from a house band even if they are heavy infleunted by dance music.

"Insomnia" Is a very strange song, it starts with drums and a haunting melody typical for "house" music. Catto starts some slow philophical rapping about life, then after 2 minutes the "hook" arrives which is the "dance melody". "Salva Mea" is simular and one of the best songs on this album, watch out this is a long song aswell. it has some very good dance rthythm, however it's sang by a female aswell. The lead title "Reverence" reminds me abit of Arrested Development. Catto is rapping with some catchy backround beats. "Don't Leave" is sung by a man, with backround choirs. "Angeline" is simular to it, it also includes flutes that sound China influented. For those of you that liked Dido, yeah she appeared on "Flowerstand Man" a typical Dido song. I like "Drifting Away" alot it's slow almost ambient, and very beautiful dance song.

For those of you that likes dance music and like artisticm albums that are diffrent from your average dance album, take a look at this almost flawless dance masterpiece. Faithless has it all. They later followed up with the great "Sunday 8pm" and "Outrospective" which i didn't like. This album "Reverence" is highly recommended, it suits amny diffrent kinds of music taste.

This album was yet another one I discovered abruptly in 2001 and I tend to listen to it still tons and tons even today. I had heard of Faithless on the Cruel Intentions soundtrack with the song "Addictive", a track I thought was very good. I was presently surprised when I got Reverence to find an excellent album that is my favorite Faithless album still. The album opens off with "Reverence" and the light rapping but it mixes so well with the beat of the music. "Don't Leave" follows in a beautiful fashion and leads up to probably one of the best songs by Faithless, "Salva Mea"....this track begins off with violins and light vocals but tends to take on a trance/dance sound to it but after about 4 mins, the rhythm changes to more bass and light rapping again...a truly amazing and unique track. "If Lovin You Is Wrong" and "Angeline" are great tracks on the album as well but almost seem lost between "Salva Mea" and "Insomnia", another well known and amazing track on the album. "Dirty Ol' Man", "Flowerstand Man", and "Baseball Cap" are good tracks on the album as well but again seem overshadowed next by "Drifting Away", another favorite track of mine off this album. Overall, this is an amazingly unique album that just doesn't fade at all...if anything, it's like a fine wine that grows better with time.

Here I am, browsing at Amazon and in the background this AMAZING 'Reverence' album happens to be playing. Bought it when it first came out in the UK all these years ago. And now, listening to it, I just suddenly realised that this music just doesn't age - like the true art this album is.
The music and the lyrics have a 'heart'. Each track has got its own character, its own story to tell - listening to one, you wouldn't be able to predict the sound that's coming at you in the next track (The excellent 'Drifting Away' starts off as an OPERA - beautifully executed)... Yet, once you heard the given track - you will later IMMEDIATELY recognize it as 'Faithless' from the multitude of mostly 'same'-sounding beat/trance (or whatever) merchants out there.

Just get this album - you will keep playing it for years to come - because of its 'heart'.
Because it is art - you will keep discovering new things in it, the more you listen.

This CD makes all that Top 40 Britney/Christina pop music sound like the garbage that it is. If you want to listen to some REAL house/dance music, then buy this CD. I have listened to Reverence about 20 times and I still love it. Really good, well crafted music; what a concept!

What else can be said, this album is extremely creative mixing rap styles with trance and house beats. Me being a big fan of rap and house believe this album is the most successful synergistic work mixing those two styles yet to date. The lyrics are uplifting unfiltered emotions with a deep spiritual element that really touches your soul. I can tell you I have never had such a feeling of joy, relaxation and excitement upon listening to any CD. It's hard to put into words, it's just a feeling you must experience.

Best CD ever!

What I love most about Faithless is that they don't limit their sound to one specific sound. On their albums the band successfully combines the smooth beats of trip hop, the infectious rhythm of techno with superb pop melodies and haunting lyrics. "Reverence" is considered to be a classic for dance enthusiasts with tracks like "Insomnia" and "Don't Leave". "Insomnia" is what got me hooked on to Faithless. It is a club classic, next to "God Is A Dj" (off of "Sunday 8pm). For those individuals not familiar with Faithless, Rollo's sister Dido sings background vocals on "Reverance" (as well as "Sunday 8pm").

Thank God for amazon.com! I would never have known about Faithless' "other" album, "Reverence," had I not checked them out on the River of Knowledge, amazon. Don't think me a moron, but it's true that I've never seen "Reverence" on a record shelf, anywhere!

For years "Sunday 8PM" has been spinning round and round on my CD player, producing in me a kind of religious respect for this eclectic bunch of musicians. Faithless is about Maxi Jazz, the smoothest vocalist to ever come out of East London, and Rollo, that master of electronic music production (author of "Don't you want me?"). Sure, Sister Bliss makes a huge contribution as well, but Faithless would be nothing without Jazz and Rollo.

"Reverence" is at least equal to "Sunday 8 PM." It starts off with the masterful title track, and really gets going with "Salva Mea," a hauntingly beautiful track (backing vocals by Dido, and signature Faithless snyth sounds..and amazing drum sequencing and overall production..). Wow!!

Tracks 2 and 5 are a total disappointment, one should note. They do not belong on this CD. The singer/songwriter featured here sounds like a university sophomore trying to impress girls by pretending he's a musician. Sure, he can sing, but there's nothing to it--no distinction, no flair, just rather flat, boring, soulless vocals. Do yourself a favor and skip 2 and 5 altogether.

Of course, "Insomnia" is all that it's purported to be. Therefore, if you're a fan of well-produced electronic music, smooth, soulful vocals, and amazingly big keyboard sounds, this CD--and "Sunday 8PM"--is for you.

Incidentally, the keyboard sounds/textures and digital grooves used by Faithless are some of the best in the known digital universe. The best part of the whole CD begins at 6min 49 sec into track 6, "Insomnia." Folks, it doesn't get better than this, especially when the principal drums and bass line are flown in over the pounding and beautiful keyboards at 7 min 18 sec. Check it out!

They call him "London" or "New York."

In the traditional realm of dance vs. trance techno, Faithless has managed quite successfully to incorporate both genres into their styles, mixing it into a wonderful album that is glorious from beginning to finish. The first song, Reverence, is a great opener, with Maxi Jazz coming immediately upon the scene with his awesome and infamous raps, and the momentum continues until the end of the album. I became familiar with Faithless through their next album, Sunday 8PM, so the transition from that album to this one was substantial, yet both albums are of superb quality and succeed in refining the beautiful and powerful style of Faithless. Actually, in some ways I like Reverence somewhat better than Sunday 8PM, because of my background preference of dance, instead of trance. There is plenty of trance in Reverence, but it works itself well to build and not become tiring. I would definately recommend this album to everyone who appreciates musical talent in this sort of eurotechno/rap genre. Some highlights are: Reverence, Insomnia, Dirty Old Man, Don't Leave, and Salva Mea, but all of the songs are great. Buy this album!

To pidgeon-hole this album into the dance genre is unfair, as this album offers so much more. Sure, tunes such Insomnia, Salva Mea and Drifting Away are dance classics, but the real gems on this CD are Don't Leave and Flowerstand Man, which are beautifully written and touch the soul (well, they did with me anyway). Buy this album now!