''Soundboy Rock'' is the fifth studio album by English

electronic music Electronic music is a Music genre, genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or electronics, circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromech ...

duo

Groove Armada Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles " At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of ...

, released on 4 May 2007 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

Content

The cover art was created by pixel artists eBoy. The song "From the Rooftops" contains an uncredited sample of Jesus Loves You's 1989 single, "After the Love" (written by

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...

and

Jon Moss Jonathan Aubrey Moss (born 11 September 1957) is an English drummer, best known as a member of the 1980s new wave group Culture Club. He has also played with other bands, including London, the Nips, the Damned and Adam and the Ants. Early li ...

Release

The album was released on 4 May 2007 on CD, vinyl and also as a limited CD package with two bonus tracks (listed below). The first single from the album, "Get Down", was released prior to the album's release on 23 April 2007. The second single, "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)", followed in July. The two singles reached, respectively, numbers 8 and 9 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, the duo's highest chart positions ever. The third single, "Love Sweet Sound", was released in late 2007.

Critical reception

Although the duo claimed the album was their best, the reviews were not always positive. In a three-star review for ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...

'', Dave Hughes criticised Groove Armada's lack of innovation, but praised the level of execution on the record. His observed that the album "manages to be familiar without being boring" concluding that "though it fails to inspire, it also, happily, fails to annoy." John Burghess of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' was of a similar opinion calling the album "derivative, but sparky and well-executed." Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Tom Ewing agreed with the duo's claim that ''Soundboy Rock'' was their best offering, but commented that their creative limitations were also obvious. He noted that every track missed a "killer idea that would make it vital." Two tracks did stand out for him, however: the first single, "Get Down," and the follow-up, "Song 4 Mutya," which he called inspired. A very positive review came from Gemma Padley of ''

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

''. She described the album as eclectic and unpredictable, with every track representing a different genre as

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and ...

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a r ...

trip hop Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with " downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow temp ...

, electro-reggae and

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust * Grime (music genre), a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * ''Grime'' (video game), a 2021 Metroidvania video game * "Grime", a 2022 song by Dallas Woo ...

. Despite this, she commented, the album maintains continuity.

Track listing

# "Hasta Luego Mr. Fab (Interlude)" (

Andy Cato Andrew Derek Cocup Sr. (born 7 June 1973), known professionally as Andy Cato, is an English musician, record producer and DJ who is currently one half of the electronic music band Groove Armada, the other half being Tom Findlay. He was also inv ...

, Tom Findlay) – 1:01 # "

Get Down Get down is a stance, posture or movement in many traditional African cultures and throughout the African diaspora. It involves bending at the waist and knees, bringing the body low to the ground in moments of ecstasy or intensity. Bending at the ...

" (featuring Stush) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Julie McAlpine) – 3:53 # "The Things That We Could Share" (featuring Simon Lord) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Simon Lord) – 3:59 # "Save My Soul" (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay) – 4:24 # "What's Your Version?" (featuring

Jeb Loy Nichols Jeb Loy Nichols is an American-born singer, songwriter, and musician, who is based in Wales. His music combines elements of soul, country, folk, reggae and blues. Biography Jeb Loy Nichols was born in Lander, Wyoming. He has lived in Missou ...

) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Tim Hutton) – 3:48 # "Paris" (featuring

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Candi Staton) – 5:38 # "Love Sweet Sound" (featuring Candi Staton) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Candi Staton) – 4:37 # "The Girls Say" (featuring Rhymefest &

Jack Splash Jack Splash is an American recording artist, musician, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles, California. Splash's works include writing and production on singles for artists such as Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, John Legend, ...

) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Tim Hutton, Jack Splash) – 4:03 # "Lightsonic" (featuring M.A.D) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Mike Daniels) – 6:55 # "Soundboy Rock" (featuring M.A.D) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Mike Daniels) – 3:55 # "Drop That Thing" (featuring

& Stush) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Jack Splash, Julie McAlpine) – 3:06 # "

Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control) "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" is a song produced by British music duo Groove Armada, featuring vocals by recording artist Mutya Buena. Initially intended to feature British singer Estelle, the duo ultimately decided to collaborate with Buena ...

" (featuring

Mutya Buena Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-pl ...

) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Tim Hutton,

Karen Poole Karen Ann Poole (born 8 January 1971) is an English singer and songwriter. Poole has had over 35 Top 20 UK hits as a songwriter. Biography Karen was born in Chadwell Heath, London, England, and is the daughter of 1960s vocalist Brian Poole, l ...

) – 4:11 # "From the Rooftops" (featuring Jack McManus) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Jack McManus,

Jim Irvin Jim Irvin is an English singer, songwriter, music journalist and podcast host. Early life Born James Lawrence Irvin and raised in west London. Career Furniture Irvin was the singer in the English new wave band Furniture, who released singles ...

) – 4:50 # "See What You Get" (featuring Alan Donohoe) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Alan Donohoe) – 4:35 # "What's Your Version?" (Reprise) (featuring Jeb Loy Nichols) (Andy Cato, Tom Findlay, Tim Hutton, Jeb Loy Nichols) – 2:09 # "Feel the Same" (featuring

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990 ...

) (limited edition bonus track) – 3:56 # "Hands Up" (featuring

Mistah Fab Stanley Petey Cox (born January 23, 1982), better known by his stage name Mistah F.A.B. (backronym for Money Is Something To Always Have–Forever After Bread), is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist. ...

) (limited edition bonus track) – 4:07 # "Breakers" (iTunes bonus track) – 3:56

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2007 albums Groove Armada albums