Track Listing

1. Blazing the crop
2. Hold us down feat.The Congos
3. It ain't nothing like feat.The Pharcyde
4. Get a life feat.Bobby Womack
5. Not just anybody feat.Kate Rogers
6. Trailing in the wake
7. Vai viver a vida feat.Tania Maria
8. Let it go feat.The Pharcyde
9. Ready to roll
10. Wake up everybody feat.Bobby Womack
11. Salvation - feat.Siron

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98189 in Music
• Released on: 2001-02-26
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
With their 1998 debut, Northern Sulphuric Soul, Mancunian mavericks Mark Rae and Steve Christian revitalised the British hip-hop scene. Mixing lush instrumentation with hip-hop beats, soulful vocals and a sophisticated pop sensibility, they virtually reinvented the Northern Soul sound. Some two years on, they're finally ready to unleash the follow-up. Featuring collaborations with the Pharcyde, The Congos' Cedric Myton and soul legend Bobby Womack, it takes the duo's subtle soul sound to the next dimension. Those accustomed to the pair's previous output will notice a clearer, sharper sound, with greater musicality and a strong reliance on "proper songs" over quirky instrumentals. It's a formula that provides a succession of classic tracks (Womack's chilling "Get A Life" and the soaring "Vai Vider a Vida" are superb), and the duo's strongest body of work to date. Put simply, Sleepwalking is a future classic. --Matt Anniss

Customer Reviews

Duff Effort
After all the good press I heard for this LP, it must be said that if this wasn't R&C, nobody would have cared. The production seems to be polished, but lacking in ideas... The first LP was a cracker - only buy this if you're a die-hard R&C fan.

Rae and Christian produce another gem!
Having stumbled across Mark Rae doing a dj set at a local club i immediately rushed out to buy Rae and Christians 'Northern Sulphuric Soul'.I loved its variety of downbeat hip hop and luscious vocals and have since bought all the other releases on the Grand Central label.Most are amazing(check out Aim,Tony D,and Central Heating to start),some are a little weaker(Only Child).Therefore I was so excited about this release and i have to be honest i have not been at all dissapointed.Although it does not reach the highs of there 5 star debut it is a more cohesive album and showcases the duos awesome production skills.As usual they have pulled in some great guests and have used them to great effect.Bobby Womack guests on the soulful 'get a life'and 'wake up everybody'and the pharcyde bring their unique rapping style to 'let it go'and 'it aint nothing like'.Other highlights include the instrumental 'ready to roll'and 'salvation'featuring Siron.If you like music of the downbeat variety this album is an absolute must and hopefully will turn more people on to the devestating Grand Central Label.

Sleepwalkers
Rae and Christian suffer from some serious sophomore-slumpin' in "Sleepwalking." While their second studio release is not even close to bad -- actually it's fairly good -- it suffers from a lack of new ideas, and some Pharcyde songs that stick out like sore, bloody thumbs.

It opens with a swippy hip-hop intro, "Blazing the Crop," an entertaining little number with what sounds like panpipes. What follows is alternately satisfactory and hilarious, with everything from outrageously genteel falsettos to swooning trip-ballads featuring Kate Rogers and Tania Maria, as well as the trippy, smoldering "Trailing in the Wake."

Unfortunately, there are two songs by the Pharcyde that simply don't fit in with the smoother, mellower hip-hop. "Let It Go" and "It Ain't Nothing Like" meander aimlessly through mellow beats, sounding jagged and uncomfortable. Perhaps it would have been better back in the "Bizarre Ride II" era, but here they sound overworn. And the legendary Bobby Womack does a good job, but it feels like Rae and Christian weren't quite sure how to use his talents.

Rae and Christian broke some new ground with "Northern Sulphuric Soul," a delightful acid hip-hop album. There, they made new inroads and breathed some fresh life into the subgenre. But here, they feel like they are on autopilot... or even worse, out of inspiration.

Fortunately they do turn out some very good material, mostly the layered downtempo numbers, and the hilarious number with the Congos: "Like putting one foot right in front of the othah," in an intensely posh voice over some trippy hip-hop beats. And Rae and Christian duet well with the female singers on here, including the soaring finale with Siron.

Unfortunately, they forge no new territory with "Sleepwalking," and the album is burdened with some songs that should have been cut. Fortunately it redeems itself with some beautiful downtempo songs.