Jump to content

Midnight Rocker

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Midnight Rocker
Studio album by
Horace Andy
Released8 April 2022 (2022-04-08)
StudioOn-U Soundcastle (Ramsgate, England)
GenreReggae[1]
Length38:05
LabelOn-U Sound
ProducerAdrian Sherwood
Horace Andy chronology
Live It Up
(2019) 		Midnight Rocker
(2022) 		Midnight Scorchers
(2022)

Midnight Rocker is a studio album by Jamaican singer-songwriter Horace Andy.[2] It was released on 8 April 2022 through On-U Sound Records.[2] It received universal acclaim from critics.[3]

Background

[edit]

For Midnight Rocker, Horace Andy worked with producer Adrian Sherwood for the first time.[2] It contains new versions of Andy's earlier songs, as well as new songs.[2] It also includes a cover of Massive Attack's song "Safe from Harm".[2]

A dub version of the album, titled Midnight Scorchers, was later released in 2022.[4][5]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
The Guardian[7]
MusicOMH[8]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Midnight Rocker received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 84 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[3]

Fred Thomas of AllMusic commented that "Midnight Rocker benefits from thoughtful song selection and Sherwood's restrained but personality-heavy production, but at the center of it all is Andy's unmistakable voice."[6] He added, "The quiet intensity, supernatural control, and disquieting character of his singing are all in full focus, adding mystery and longing to even the most benign lyric and making the highlights of Midnight Rocker rank among his best work."[6] Bernie Brooks of The Quietus called the album "a worthy, maybe even essential, addition to both Horace Andy and Adrian Sherwood's massive catalogues."[9] He added, "It's not perfect, but there's a strange vitality in its imperfection, and that energy, that vitality – whatever it is – is incredibly compelling."[9] Ben Devlin of MusicOMH commented that "Horace Andy is clearly an artist not content to rest on his laurels, and with this album he strengthens his position as a bona fide reggae legend."[8] Pat Carty of Hot Press stated, "If Andy has been ever so slightly been relegated to sideman status in the decades since Blue Lines, Midnight Rocker puts him back out front, where he belongs."[1]

Accolades

[edit]
Year-end lists for Midnight Rocker
Publication List Rank Ref.
Hot Press 50 Best Albums of 2022
31
[10]
Mojo 50 Best Albums of 2022
4
[11]
Uncut Best New Albums of 2022
32
[12]

Track listing

[edit]
Midnight Rocker track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Must Be Hell"H. Hinds3:33
2."Easy Money"
3:54
3."Safe from Harm"
4:52
4."Watch Over Them"
3:32
5."Materialist"H. Hinds3:52
6."Today Is Right Here"
  • A. Maxwell
  • J. Nichols
  • G. Oban
3:58
7."Try Love"
  • A. Maxwell
  • J. Nichols
  • G. Oban
4:10
8."Rock to Sleep" 3:02
9."Careful"
  • L. Kenny
  • A. Maxwell
2:58
10."Mr. Bassie"H. Hinds4:00
Total length:38:05

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from liner notes.[13]

  • Horace Andy – vocals
  • Gaudi – steel guitar, piano, celesta, Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, Clavinet, synthesizer, backing vocals (5)
  • Crucial Tony – rhythm guitar
  • Prisoner – drums, programming
  • Horseman – percussion
  • Skip McDonald – lead guitar (1–3, 8, 10)
  • George Oban – bass guitar (1, 4, 6–8)
  • Alan Glen – mouth organ (1, 5, 9)
  • Richard Doswell – saxophone (1, 6)
  • Chris Petter – trombone (1, 6)
  • Dave Fulwood – trumpet (1, 6)
  • Dr. Pablo – melodica (2)
  • Douglas Wimbish – bass guitar (2, 3)
  • Ivan "Celloman" Hussey – cello (3, 7, 8), saxophone (10)
  • Style Scott – drums (4, 5, 7)
  • Adrian Sherwood – production
  • Matthew Smyth – engineering, programming
  • David McEwen – engineering, programming
  • Frank Merritt – mastering
  • Michael Moodie – photography
  • Jaffa – layout

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Midnight Rocker
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 65
Scottish Albums (OCC)[15] 26
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[16] 12
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[17] 7

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Carty, Pat (8 April 2022). "Album Review: Horace Andy - Midnight Rocker". Hot Press. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Clarke, Patrick (4 February 2022). "Horace Andy Details New LP With Adrian Sherwood, 'Midnight Rocker'". The Quietus. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b c "Midnight Rocker by Horace Andy". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Midnight Scorchers by Horace Andy". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Midnight Scorchers - Horace Andy". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Thomas, Fred. "Midnight Rocker - Horace Andy". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  7. ^ Kalia, Ammar (25 March 2022). "Horace Andy: Midnight Rocker review – the Jamaican singer's finest performances yet". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b Devlin, Ben (13 April 2022). "Horace Andy – Midnight Rocker". MusicOMH. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  9. ^ a b Brooks, Bernie (18 April 2022). "Horace Andy — Midnight Rocker". The Quietus. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  10. ^ "50 Best Albums of 2022". Hot Press. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  11. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2022". Mojo. 22 December 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Uncut's Best New Albums Of 2022". Uncut. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  13. ^ Horace Andy (2022). Midnight Rocker (CD booklet). On-U Sound Records.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Horace Andy – Midnight Rocker" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 May 2025.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Midnight_Rocker&oldid=1291634762"