''"i"'' is the second album by

A.R. Kane A.R. Kane (sometimes AR Kane or A.R.Kane) was a British musical duo formed in 1986 by Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala. After releasing two early EPs to critical acclaim, the group topped the UK Independent Chart with their debut album '' 69'' (1988 ...

, released in 1989 on One Little Indian. The album engaged more overtly with pop, dance and electronic styles following the group's debut '' Sixty Nine''. Like its predecessor, ''"i"'' was released to moderate sales figures and topped the UK independent charts.

Reviews

In a mixed 1990 review, critic

Greg Tate Gregory Stephen Tate (October 14, 1957December 7, 2021) was an American writer, musician, and producer. A long-time critic for ''The Village Voice'', Tate focused particularly on African-American music and culture, helping to establish hip-h ...

stated that the album "seems both more rudimentary and more calculating by comparison with the organic and uncontrived otherness of '' 69''," noting their incorporation of "various received

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

song-forms" and opining that "the results are spotty." The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

review by Jason Ankeny called the album "breathtaking in its scope and positively epic in its ambition," and concluded that, "largely overlooked upon its original release, ''i'' is still an underappreciated masterpiece."

Track listing

Personnel

*A.R. Kane – arranger, audio production, engineer, guitar, multi instruments, producer, string arrangements, vocals *Gini Ball, Sally Herbert, Jeremy Metcalfe – violin *

Benny Di Massa Benny Di Massa (born 25 April 1963) is an English musician and producer. He has played drums/guitar for several bands in his early career including Cocteau Twins. Benny D is the CEO and Producer/Songwriter aPowerstudio which is based at 12 C ...

– drums *Colin Cairns – bass *Sue Dench, Jocelyn Pook – viola *John Dent – cut, cutting engineer *The False Harmonies – strings *Lincoln Fong, Gerard Johnson,

Paul Kendall Paul Kendall is a composer, producer and visual artist, primarily known as a sound engineer, mixer, mainly through his extensive career at Mute Records and his collaborations with Alan Wilder of Recoil. Career Kendall was born in 1954. In 197 ...

, Nigel Kennedy, Gail Lambourne, Mick Roasty, Sam Smith, Ken Thomas, Jeff Ward – engineer *Girl, Lorna – vocals *Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah – percussion *Art Kane – arranger, engineer, instrumentation, producer, string arrangements *Maggie Tambala – bass, vocals *

Martin McCarrick Martin McCarrick (born 29 July 1962) is an English cellist, keyboardist, guitarist and composer. Aside from being a live and recording artist, he is also a teacher and visiting lecturer in music. Career His first recording in the pop/rock ar ...

, Audrey Riley – cello *Billy McGee – string arrangements *

Ray Shulman Raymond Shulman (born 8 December 1949) is a Scottish musician, and the youngest of three brothers in progressive rock band Gentle Giant. Shulman was born in Portsmouth. His father was a trumpet player in a jazz band, and that was the first inst ...

– bass, producer *Chris Tombling – balloon, violin *Halpin Grey Vermeir – cover design, design

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I 1989 albums A.R. Kane albums One Little Independent Records albums