I have always been a sucker for retro bands and artists. It always made me ponder the question: Is this what my heroes would sound like today? Artists like the Black Crows, who were inspired by the Rolling Stones; Oasis (The Beatles) and Lenny Kravitz (Jimi Hendrix) are all entertaining to listen to, but they are nowhere as talented or as innovative as their idols.
With that said let us take a look at Jamiroquai and their latest album, “A Funk Odyssey.” The title is an obvious nod to the Arthur C. Clarke sci-fi classic, which has been the most overused, parodied title this year. Makes you wonder if Clarke will get some sort of compensation for the misuse of his “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But we are talking about originality and that was never one of Jamiroquai’s strong points.
Jamiroquai was formed in 1992 creating a massive underground buzz when the instant classic, “When You Gonna Learn?” which was released on an independent London record label, Acid Jazz. After a year of touring the UK club circuit, the band caught the attention of S2 (Sony Music), which signed the charismatic Jay Kay and his band to an eight-album deal.
The band’s debut album “Emergency On Planet Earth,” crashed the UK album charts at No. 1 in June of 1993, soon making Jamiroquai the top-selling British debut act of that year. Their second album, 1994’s “Return Of The Space Cowboy,” outsold their first album going platinum in the UK.
In 1996, the band broke the coveted US market with their third album “Traveling Without Moving,” and the excellent single and video for “Virtual Insanity,” which earned them four VMA awards and a Grammy. In June 1999 the band saw the release of their fourth studio album “Synkronized,” which was another hit in the UK, but failed to make any waves in the US.
Now I believe in artistic evolution, and I was expecting it on Jamiroquai’s new album, sadly that’s not the case, but to some degree I also believe that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” which is the case here.
“A Funk Odyssey” sees the band incorporate their traditional Stevie Wonder recipe book, with some other retro elements. You can hear Sly & The Family Stone, Parliament Funkadelic and a bit of James Brown.
Consistency is the key word for Jamirioquai. All five albums have a rock solid template and that being the case, by the fifth album you are bound to perfect your art and in many ways they have.
“A Funk Odyssey” is an incredibly upbeat album, with no dull moments. This is what you might call “feel good” music and ironically the first track on the album bares those two words. “Feels So Good” starts us off the party with what is signature Jamiroquai beats, followed by “Little L,” the album’s first single which also has the classic disco funk sound.
“You Give Me Something” continues the vibe but also introduces new member Rob Harris into the songwriting mix. Harris contributes his writing skills on half of the album’s material.
“Corner Of The Earth” is one of the smoother tracks on the album, and a bit of a departure for the band, especially the start of the song, which has a Spanish bosa nova feel to it.
“Love Foolosophy” continues the funked up sound, and has the words follow-up single written all over it. On “Main Vain” you can hear the Isaac Hayes influence, and it’s done perfectly.
The experimentation is left to the second half of the album. “Twenty Zero One,” perhaps the best track on the album, takes a frenzied look at our world today, but at the same time doesn’t miss a beat.
Like I stated before this is an upbeat, fun album. But don’t look for any groundbreaking music that’s going to change your life. It’s light-hearted and harmless, which is something we could all do with today.
***
(For more information on Jamiroquai go to www.jamiroquai.co.uk)
