Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Goodbye "Shake Your Ass" Hello "Best of 2001"
The duet of Groove Armada is back and their sophomore release is a much more mature and complex piece of work then their critically acclaimed 1999 release, "Vertigo". (Reviewer's note: I thought Vertigo was one of the best CDs I picked up that year) "Goodbye Country" fuses a blend of soulful-hiphop, house vibes, dub-style beats, down tempo rhythms, and nicely orchestrated traditional instruments. This album has much more depth and width to it than Vertigo. While there are enough tracks that could easily be played at your favorite dance hall for pumping beats (Suntoucher, Superstylin, Fogma, Raisin' the Stakes), there are several tracks which are downtempo enough for those late Sunday afternoons and late night chill sessions (Healing, Edge Hill, Join Hands). What is most evident in Groove Armada's latest release is the variety of musical talent and cross-section of musical styles that were gently and delicately incorporated together. This is probably the best new release of 2001 that I have picked up this year, hands down. Cato and Findlay won't disappoint. Set the EP speed on "groove" and enjoy. Moving in stereo - d.i.roberts
Rating: - Armada of talent
Probably one of the best albums of the year, Groove Armada continue to explore new ideas,and offer up a musical buffet of sounds. In contrast to their second album, Vertigo which was mostly downtemp and chill, the title of this album foreshadows where these blokes are headed. This album incorporates live insrumentations as well as clever sampling. The first track, Suntoucher, blends hip-hop rhymes and disco orchestrations to create a head bopping sensation. The second track, Superstylin' is a fierce mix of reggae dub vocals and foot stomping house beats that beckons one to dance.
One of the finest tracks, Fogma, is nasty groove at its best and one can't help but play it over and over. They even revisit old school rap and breath new life into it in track 8, Raisin the Stakes. Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) is a befitting title for this album, proving that these blokes are moving up off the sofa and stepping onto the dancefloor. It definitely needs to be heard several times for it to be appreciated and once it finds its way into your cd player it will be there for a while. Its perfect driving music, getting ready to go out music, and it definitely satisfies when having a few friends round for drinks.
An album with great energy, Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) is an evolution of two very talented musicians with great taste in music and an ear to the dancefloor.
Rating:  - Solid, if underachieving, return from the Groove guys
The duo of Cato and Findlay (Groove Armada) return ever-determined to broaden their scope beyond the two-jazzy-blokes-with-a-sampler style that formed their earlier work, perhaps encouraged by successful live tours with a full band in tow, and (likely) the increased production bucks that comes with success. Goodbye Country, Hello Nightclub, their third album, doesn't stray too far from past material, but as the title implies there's a renewed sense of dance floor fun. Hit single "Superstylin'," gliding easy on disco beats and backed by reggae-inflected MAD & MG, certainly kicks into gear, as does their rap-funk "Suntoucher," rising horn riff skewed by their jazzbo hands. The broad cast of musicians noticeably livens the warm downtempo instrumentals still core to their records, though they wisely keep the clutter (and noodles) in check. "Drifted" relies mostly on an unaccompanied bass drum and floating vocals for chilled delights far superior to "Healing" and 'My Friend," their other, and too obvious, single favored by DJs. "Edge Hill" wobbles along with a simple bass line before a full strings section leaps in to lift the piece. Which is ultimately the main critique of Goodbye Country; the undeniable sense throughout that these chaps are too talented to keep such surprises at a minimum. What results is a solid, but underachieving, accomplishment. 3.5 stars
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