Groove Armada Album: “Back to Mine”

I have bought this CD at least 5 times. Two of them are still in my custody (one worn and scratched to near oblivion), the rest, well, all given away reluctantly or borderline "stolen" by those that "have to have" this CD.

I entertain allot, this almost always makes rotation for pre-dinner appetizers, or post dinner games (of the board kind). I wouldn't do at dinner time because there are a handful of songs that are a bit too hard (this CD isn't 100% chillout, there are a handful of uptempo tracks). Nevertheless, this CD is a winner.

Their newer CD (Love Box) is excellent, but in my opinion not as good as this one. If you love the downtempo element of this CD, I'd recommend Air (the group), or Zero 7. If you like the uptempo aspect, I'd take a look at some cool Mushroom Jazz (like Mark Farina).

Hope this was helpful.

Christian Hunter

This is my first Groove Armada cd and I have to say I was expecting something a little more mixed, but this cd has not left my player! I love it, I don't know about any of their other works, but if you are lookin for some downtempo, juicy, groove you have found a winner. You cannot go wrong with Barry White and Al green will never let you down. A great cd to chill to, with a glass of wine at the end of a long day. Also this cd will not get "played out", like some newer music sometimes does. These are classics you can keep forever.

A word of advice...if you're looking for the 240 bpm, frenzied d&b scene, this isn't for you. That ought to come as no surprise to most people considering a GA purchase. However, given some of the comments I've heard about this one, some people are finding themselves shocked by this release.

This is an INCREDIBLY smooth release. I picked it up one night after a wonderfuly delicious meal in Napa, and as I made my way back to San Francisco, with the top down, I found that nothing could have been more appropriate to the occassion.

This cd is, literally, all over the place. From Tribe Called Quest to Barry White to Al Green, it's in there. All mixed incredibly smoothly and seamlessly. It is a fantastic "chill-out" album, and is one, I wager, that will be drawing attention from many different types of people.

It's a very accessible release for most people, and one that I am sure you will enjoy. Perfect for driving with the top down at night, spending some quality time with your loved one, dining, cocktails, or any other instance you could think of that lends itself to softer, smoother vibes.

Very worth it....

Alot of my fellow reviewers and the general public should note that a main tenet of the Back to Mine series is that it is a reflection of influences and musical tastes of the artists. In the sleeve notes of one of the Back to Mine series (there are at least a dozen so named CDs) I read that it's all about what they'd play at their after-clubbing party back home on their vintage vinyls and what not.

Therefore you get alot of downbeat tracks and music that isn't necessarily what the artist would normally put out. The same holds true for this BTM release. Groove Armada are already masters of the chill beats, but they put in a twist for this assortment of their favourite tunes. A direct quote from the booklet that comes with the disc: "In compiling this album, we've worked at playing all these tunes at their original speed as they're all too special to be distorted."

What you are buying here isn't necessarily a Groove Armada album - though it's definitely got their flavour. What you are buying is a truly one-of-a-kind, stellar mix tape. Seriously. Still worth the purchase, even at the more expensive CD store prices.

I can't really recall why I bought this CD - I think that I had heard good things about Groove Armada and didn't realize that this CD was a compliation of songs that they like via the Back To Mine collection. The first time that I listened to this CD- I instantly liked every song. The variety of tunes is great, but really well mixed together. It listens like a complete album all the way through. If you like mellow but slightly upbeat R&B with a little bit of techno, then this album is definitely for you. Great for listening while doing stuff at home or at work.