Review Summary: A masterpiece from one of the greatest electronic groups ever
Anyone that loves electronic music knows that ‘Insomnia’ was nominated for the greatest Dance anthem in 1995. Over the course of more than 10 years, Faithless, the group who designed the 10 minute epic have risen to their fullest, and meaningfully so. The club-banging track has been featured in a wide range of video games, commercials, and movies. ‘Insomnia’ is also one of Faithless’s most preciously made tracks, partly due for the complexity and distinct melody/rhythm changes; and even though the song has its highest moments (the lustrous synthesizer that slides in action halfway), it will entertain just about any electronic music fan, even for people who are the complete opposite and who find the entire song to be an annoyance. But really, this song and Faithless’s amazing debut is both equally prodigious and approachable. And the majority of ‘Reverence’ is just about everything you can ask for in the electronic music world. There are perfectly structured beats, uplifting synthesizer leads, and beautiful vocals sung by both male/female that will invite anyone inside to explore. It’s all just a huge ball of goodies.
With this album, Faithless don’t manage to display one specific genre as opposed to many others. As in, they explore house, downtempo, and even non-cheesy trance to make something completely varied in its own nature. ‘Insomnia’ is an amazing anthem house piece whilst ‘Salva Mae’ is an out-of-this-world trance tune with a heartwarming melody. ‘Don’t Leave’, sung by the female vocalist herself is probably the most emotionally gratifying here. The gentle piano chords are with what give it so much emotion, and of course so do the song meaning. ‘Baseball Cap’ fiddles with the lyrics a bit more instead of the common love theme by repeating ‘baseball cap’ over and over again, and ‘If Loving you is Wrong’ perfectly refers back to the standard cheesy love lyrics.
‘Reverence’ is definitely a mysterious journey that is not only Faithless’s best, but a quintessential album for electronic music. It’s commonly referred to as an unquestionably perfect record and essential for the dancefloor. Faithless are a group above and beyond the ordinary, and ‘Reverence’ perfectly exemplifies this in fashion.
