Emergency On Planet Earth

“Emergency on Planet Earth” by Jamiroquai (1993) I’ve never heard of this album or this group. Sounds like a white guy trying to make money pretending to be black. And sometimes what it sounds like is exactly what it is. Cultural appropriation at its worst. His faux Stevie Wonder impersonation is embarrassing. Derivative ripoff. I had to skip ahead. It got worse. This album screams. “Look at me! I’m British and I’m so fashionably and counterculturally cool! Buy my CD so I can pay my session musicians!” Good bass player. Nice fluegelhorn. Strings are terrible. There’s a lot that I could say about how poorly this was composed, arranged, performed, mastered, and mixed, but I just don’t want to. Regarding the, ah, lyrics—they lack poetry, and the social commentary is like skipping rocks on a fetid pond. The self awareness in his self aware lyrics is aware of a pretty silly self. “Blow Your Mind” should’ve been titled “Blow Your Alleged Mind”. This album SUCKS. 1/5

I really enjoyed this album. This is a solid jam/jazz/funk/acid rock offering with lots to dig in to especially if you're musically inclined. The record was joyful and playful and featured impressive musicianship. I especially enjoyed the use of the synth which in no way made the music sound dated (as synths can do). Great record to put on to get people dancing as well.

God dammnit this an incredible album. I really struggle to think of any other record that is this interesting AND funky. Out of control momentum that is impossible to stop moving to, I reckon you could power a small Dutch village with the energy this thing emits. Every single track is out of this world but my big highlights are Too Young to Die,and Revolution 1993 (Any track (in the demo) that includes "TAKE IT TO THE BRIDGE" is an obvious 5/5). Fricken sick lead break on Whatever It Is. There's even some bonus cuica in Music Of The Mind. Also my best friend the funky bell sound is back all over it but especially on the opening track and Too Young.

Jamiroquai is an artist I haven't really engaged with before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This is an album that really draws into focus the fine line between appreciation and appropriation. Unfortunately, I feel like it's more the latter. While the funky grooves are fairly bespoke and well-made, I can't help but feel like the singer is cosplaying as Stevie Wonder circa 1972, and that makes me deeply uncomfortable. Why not just listen to Stevie, instead? The generic "socially conscious" lyrics feel more unintentionally Flight of the Conchords than Marvin Gaye. It's a disservice to all the Black artists they freely lift from. Further, the name (a lazy mashup of jam and Iroquois) and the Indigenous iconography used for the group's buffalo man logo just amplifies my disdain. I'll take a pass. Favourite track: "Blow Your Mind"

Don't really have alot to say on this one. It's right in the middle of 3 for me. Nothing that really bothers me per se but nothing that really excites me too much either except maybe the use of the dijeridoo. It just makes me want to listen to Stevie Wonder instead.

Big Fan

EXTRA COOL

Great album, always loved Jamiroquai

Yeh, detractors like to quote how derivative ‘Emergency On Planet Earth’ is of 70’s soul and funk, and that Jay Kay is a cheap white imitator of Stevie Wonder and his singing. That it’s cultural appropriation of black music, as well as of native American Indians, regarding Jay Kay’s use of wearing their sacred headdress while he prances around on stage, as well as using the ‘Iroquois’ tribe name in the band’s name. That (especially) on this album he sings of environmental and social issues, but hypocritically has an exotic car collection full of petrol guzzling Ferrari’s and Lambo’s. Personally, I don’t care. There are serious nostalgia vibes for me with this one. I listened to this a lot as a kid, and it’s one of those records that I know inside out, back to front. Each to their own, but I still think this is a great album despite all the criticism levelled against it. Importantly, you can hear the love that went into this, it’s done with reverence and respect, and I think it transcends its influences to stand on its own two feet as its own artistic statement, rather than just merely imitation. At the end of the day, it’s an album full of great songs (sure they sound familiar, but they are original compositions), and great playing and it’s funky. And you can dance to it. And that’s the point.

Cet album était de grande, il est en revanche dommage que Jamiroquai se soit endormi sur sa table de mixage. En effet, après 7 sons tous plus impressionnants les uns que les autres, Jami, ayant offert une folle énergie pendant ces plus de 30mn de musique, se trouve en effet un peu las. Le voilà qui se met donc à fermer les yeux quelques secondes pour reprendre ses esprits, mais ces quelques secondes se transformeront en de longues minutes. C'est dommageable, mais n'enlève rien à la qualité de l'album pré-sieste.

Best Song: Too Young to Die. Dancy, groovy, with a hint of melancholy lyrics. Absolute jam. Worst Song: There isn't one. Overall: May more lyrically interesting than I expected, full of dark gems mixed with funky, high energy music that makes you want to move. Feels like the dance album for the apocalypse. "Death can seem to bear no relevance Bet you wished you'd danced to the music What you want to do is kill yourself Still you don't dance to the music"

I knew I would love this before I even listened!

Funky, politically charged, enjoyable.

Jamiroquai's "Emergency on Planet Earth" is an infectiously groovy mix of funk, jazz, soul and disco. From start to finish there's catchy and infectious Stevie Wonder inspired rhythms. The bass in particular is fantastic. The instrumentation is rich with with added horns and percussions and of course Jay Kay's voice. A wonderful record to relax or dance to. And really, don't get me started on people complaining about cultural appropriation and 'white guy trying to sound black.' Culture is a mosaic, not a monolith, and it is improved, not damaged, when people incorporate pieces from other sounds or cultures that inspired them. How is honoring your favourite artists, in Jamiroquai's case Stevie Wonder, all of a sudden not done? It's an enjoyable funky record, clearly inspired by some of worlds greats.

Après une série catastrophique entamée juste après l'album culte de l'ultra-sexuel Marvin Gaye, la musique de bon goût vient de faire son retour dans le générateur par le biais de Jamiroquai. Pour l'anecdote, à la veille de la sortie de ce premier album, les membres du groupe fêtèrent leur futur succès lors d'une soirée particulièrement arrosée. Malheureusement pour eux, le chanteur ne s'arrêta jamais de gobeloter et s'endormit au petit matin sur la table de mixage allumée le cul à l'air. Résultat des courses : une fin d'album totalement cacophonique doublée d'un xylostome.

I've never listened to Jamiroquai before and had no idea what to expect. But I was very positively surprised! It's an interesting mix of styles, nice to hear some rarely used instruments and a lot of variety.

One of my favorite albums ever. Cultural appropriation? Funk and music in general is colorblind and should not be put in boxes. "When You Gonna Learn?" ;)

3/6/24. I always loved Jamiroquai and this is my first listen of this album. Maybe this was the music I needed to start my day, but as a funk lover I can't resist the urge to dance to every song! No time is wasted to get you on your feet, and what separates this band is the exploration of jazz progressions and elements. A new favorite of mine.

love acid jazz

This album is funky as fuck. The main thing for me here is the absolutely brilliant instrumentation. Smooooth bass, funky psychedelic space keys, violin, sexy synth, trumpet! There's tons of great songs on here, but I also I love the extended musical interludes - really nice. And big shout out to the mixing on this record - it's top notch. I find the other commentary on here around appropriation so boring, if we're talking solely about the music of course. Are you not allowed to have influences anymore? Get over yourselves. You're a white British man JK, stay in your fucking lane. You should be more like someone like George Formby, play ukulele and sing some innocuous song about cleaning windows or something. Oh wait, the ukulele was from Portuguese origin and popularised in Hawaii... but... that's appropriation too! Is it too late to cancel George Formby? He's a monster! Rant aside... great album!

Energetic, playful, poetically rich and engaging. Good to listen on a ride home, chilling, playing in the room, sunny day. Classic well-rounded and focused record from Jamiroquai. Danceable, chill meaningful all at the same time. It evokes emotions of rebellion, but with a twist of fun. If I like it, I do it; Music of the mind; Blow Your Mind; Revolution 1993 4.8/5

I knew the moment that this album was generated for me today that I was going to have a great listening experience. My partner calls him “the twat in the hat”, and I can see why, but oh lordy I love his music. Songs I already knew: all of them to a degree Favourites: Too Young To Die, Emergency On Planet Earth, Didgin’ Out I really enjoy funk as a whole. It’s hard to not like! It’s music designed to make your rump shake, so if you don’t enjoy it it’s a sure fire way to find out that you have no soul. Jamiroquai masters the art of this. There is no point throughout this album where I didn’t want to dance. That’s not to say it all sounded the same because that would be very untrue, yet I still wanted to dance nonetheless. Overall, I obviously love it, and that says a lot considering there’s a load of didgeridoo in it.

Puts a skip in your step and a shake in yo booty

I was first introduced to Jamiroquai by the iconic dance in "Napoleon Dynamite." I had assumed it was a 70s classic I had somehow missed along the way. Turns out I missed out on Jamiroquai throughout the 90s! How sad that was! How could this happen? This was funky and topical and fun! I'm sort of mad at myself for not pursuing this music after "Canned Heat" became a staple of my playlists. Feels like I missed my second chance then. But here we are, and I love this groovy music.

I will show my age and my whole ass here, but my only exposure to Jamiroquai (beyond in passing) was through Napoleon Dynamite. But honestly, I do really like this sound, and I was absolutely baffled by the amount of didgeridoo on a funk album!

Loved this fusion of jazz, world and funk.

❤️Jamiroquai

Cool jazz funk album, you can see their influence on some of the people like Bruno Mars and Anderson paak today, which is copl

Funkiest '90s music I've ever heard. Rad.

Revolution was f****** amazing

Groovy, funky and I was literally listening to this two days before it came up in the list. Great musicians playing great songs

Incredible disco/funk album, start to finish

Groovin, bumpin, funky, jive, etc. Fantastic

Yes

Loved this- will listen to it again

Awesomely jazzy and poppy. Such a unique blend.

Silly hat man makes funky music

I've never listened to Jamiroquai beyond a few singles but this is a very cool album. Oh so funky. Like Stevie Wonder and George Clinton reimagined for the 90's. I really enjoyed every song except for maybe Music of the Mind (not quite as funky) and Blow Your Mind (song gets long and aimless). I also loved the didgeridoo on When You Gonna Learn and Didgin Out. Other favorite songs were Too Young to Die, the title track, and Revolution 1993 (it may be long, but on point). The album is almost a 5 for me.

dancing walking rearranging furniture

- How much funk do you want on your album? - Yes. A fun record. Loved the energy and light nature. Highlight: Too Young To Die

Please collect all of the electronic disco/funk music you can find and inject it directly into my veins. I don't get to listen to a lot of fun dance music on this list, and I fucking love this stuff. The fact that this album came out in 1993 is crazy. It sounds almost too advanced for that period, though electronic music was making rapid advancements during that period in particular. Anyway, it's hard to type when my feet are tapping and my head is bopping, so I'm just going to give this 4 stars and get back to enjoying it

-Great bass in "Emergency On Planet Earth" -I love the fast-paced lyrics on "Revolution 1993" -Very cool, quick tempo jazz stuff

such a solid, groovy record. george clinton caliber funk.

Funkology, the theory of funk.

What a surprisingly great find. Sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder (especially vocally), which is a huge compliment. All I knew of Jamiroquai was that one video that MTV used to show on repeat back in say 1997. I believe it was for a song called "Virtual Insanity". All I know for sure is Chris Rock made fun of it when he hosted the VMA's around that time. Nevertheless, this came dangerously close to a 5 for me. This album compelled me to put in a 30-minute sprint on the treadmill I enjoyed it so much. Might be just a BIT too long. Tighten this baby up a bit and we'd be looking at a solid 5.

Embarrassingly I'd only been familiar with the band's "hits" so was happy to give a deeper dive here. Didn't know this was their debut album and *wow* - elements of 70s Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock combined with 90s production... Perfect instrumentation - the horns, Rhodes piano, percussion... My initial favourite is "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop" holymoly. That growly bass is the bomb. This is the first strong 4 i'm giving to something I'd never heard before - this will get many many listens.

This was great! Ashamed to admit I'd never heard any Jamiroquai before but this was quality.

Good funky trip-hop vibes.

Fun vibes. Love that Jamiroquai sound!

I really enjoyed this album. Modern Jazz with a hip beat.

Fantastic

I quite liked Jamiroquai when they first appeared with this album. The template is largely based on Stevie Wonder, but given that he hadn't released a good record in over a decade at that point, the funky acid jazz approach was fun, and certainly welcome breather from grunge. The singles are catchy and engaging, but the album drags as it goes on. Eight to ten minute workouts might be fun live, but they tend to outstay their welcome on disc, and the less said about the didgeridoo playing, the better. I did see Jamiroquai at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in 2002. The band was incredibly tight and super professional. I bet they never played a wrong note, and delivered a polished and perfect performance every note. And it was a bit soulless. It was perfectly competent, but never really took off. I mentioned it to my wife, and she has no memory of seeing the show (although she was standing right next to me). And this album is a bit like that; really competent, with good singles, but largely forgettable. Jay Kay was an engaging frontman when this album came out, although as he developed his 'prat in the hat' persona, he became somewhat less likable. I mean, it is hard to take his "peace, love and environment" messages too seriously when all Mr Kay really seemed interested in was shagging models and collecting sports cars (or was it the other way around?). But, as a first start from the gates, they are a cracking and super tight funk band with something to prove, with a charismatic frontman, which felt fun and funky at the time. The singles are pretty damn food, although the album tracks are often not much than a jazzy groove with banal lyrics. Subsequent albums followed the same pattern. I like many Jamiroquai singles and sometimes include them in my DJ sets. But the albums are inessential.

This record is so close to a 4 for me. Def I have a lot of familiarity - people around me were listening to Jamiroquai like crazy in those days. Ultimately this record is just missing that key ingredient of a couple of really truly amazing tracks that reel you in and force you to appreciate the deeper aspects of the rest of it. An excellent record but not quite to the level of great.

An impressively funky debut from the QAnon Shaman, borrowing heavily from Stevie Wonder’s early-mid 70’s output.

Sweet 70s funk repackaged for the 90s kids with vocals from a Stevie Wonder impersonator. The overwrought sloganeering combined with tone-deaf appropriation doesn't hold up well. Also the inclusion of a didgeridoo doesn't make this "world-music inspired", just annoying. Cynicism aside, musically, I love the band's influences as much as they clearly do and they do groove. 3.5 rounded down because Jay Kay is pretty repulsive.

I thought I was going to enjoy the funk, but it was way too repetitive to enjoy. I think the groovy bass keeps this at 3 stars, however.

Oof. Jamiroquai is definitely one of those "best in small doses" artist. There's a funk here that's tasty but just too much at an album-level dose. Also, quit it with the scat vocals. Just stop.

A Stevie wonder rip-off that hasn't really dated well. Lots of people loved it when I was young, which is fine, but it was always irritating to me - especially the lyrics

This is a white dude doing a poor Stevie Wonder impression AND there's a didgeridoo on multiple tracks. I'm more of a didgeri-don't. Plus 1 star because the bass player knows what he's doing. Best track: Blow Your Mind

I hadn't seen any of the music videos before and watched them while listening to the album. This guy is a fucking chode. This is chode music for chode people. It sounds like disco meets 90s R&B. This gets 2 stars because at least the musicians are good. If you take out the singer, it is okay background music. I just learned about this guy and already I hate him. Who goes by Jay Kay? "You can call me Jay, you can call me Kay, but dont' you call me Jay Kay." Uggghhh

It grows and grows on you. Until you can't escape the funk. One of the pearls from that list.

Like electro-funk or acid jazz. Really solid beats. Very danceable Favourite songs: Revolution 1993, "If I Like It, I Do It", When You Gonna Learn?, "Whatever It Is, I Just Can't Stop", Blow Your Mind, Too Young To Die, Hooked Up, Emergency on Planet Earth, Brothers Like You Least favourite songs: if forced to pick, Didgin' Out, God Made Me Funky 5/5

Ik loev Jamiroquai

Get ready to clap to the backbeat and head dodge. A fun album filled with great tracks, no duds, and professional musicianship.

Jamiroquai hat immer eine super Bandbreite und Vielfalt

Good album but hasn't risen up to the level of his proceeding albums.

After listening to this album and reading a bit about the band, I’m surprised and a little embarrassed that I’ve never hear of this band before. I am from the U.S. and it seems they’re bigger in the UK, but Jamiroquai is no small act. It’s easy to see why - these are great songs and Jay Kay’s voice is pretty incredible, at least on this record. Good modern funk is so fun and this is a solid listen throughout. Great bass lines, well used brass, excellent percussion, and Kay’s smooth vocals make this a super fun album. Favorite tracks are When You Gonna Learn, Too Young to Die, and Blow Your Mind.

funky and fresh. I should have been listening to this when it came out. Already warranted a replay.

Never listened before, I like the funk-infused acid jazz sound. I like the use of bass (especially in Whatever it Is) and didgeridoo. It dawned on me part of the appeal was that this sounded like a white Stevie Wonder knockoff. The lyrics can be a bit overly earnest.

Bollocks to "cultural appropriation", wrong-headed, anti-culture nonsense. You aren't really offended by this, you're just made to think you should be but really, this is how art works. It's all derivative to some degree. If it's not done to lampoon or mock then it's fine. Stevie Wonder himself was influenced by jazz greats and people like Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, James Brown etc. Is it just because Jay Kay is white? Fuck that. Let's write off the Beatles and the Stones then as they plumbed RnB decades ago. It's just creativity, you take stuff you like and you channel it into your own art. Nobody should be offended by that. It's a great compliment. Just get over yourself. Anyway, the band are very much of their time in terms of 90's sound but they were stand-out for what they were doing. Some great tracks on here but I probably prefer Return of the Space Cowboy

Computer funk.

Some chaotic, some good and funky

C'est musicalement très solide et très bien composé. Les musiciens et le chanteur ton clairement tous talentueux. Par contre, c'est un style qui m'attire un peu moins donc j'ai trouvé l'album un peu long. Ça dérive un peu trop de ses influences qui sont clairement ancrées dans le disco et le funk des années 70. Un album d'une très bonne qualité, mais probablement pas le genre que je réécouterais de façon régulière. 7/10

I felt pretty neutral on this album. It's a solid jazz album, nothing great nothing bad, but as someone else wrote which I completely agree with, it makes me want to listen to Stevie Wonder instead.

I have something against Jamiroquai, even not being a frequent listener. I don't know what, but I always turn off my brain every time I try to listen to any of their songs. However, respecting the 1001 challenge, I tried this one and surprisingly enjoyed some songs. I still think they sound childish somehow (no explanations, just feelings), but now I can at least listen to 1 of their albums. I'll not try the others. Let's keep this relation in a good status.

The other reviews were not kidding, this guy really wants to be Stevie Wonder, but I think he wanted to do so out of inspiration, not to make money off his style. I was hopeful for this album because of this common comparison as well as "acid jazz" being listed within the subgenres, but I sadly found a lot of this album just okay. None of it really had that punch I find Wonder's music to contain, and no real slow tracks had the album start to feel monotonous more than something to get up and dance to. Everything here is solid enough, but I can live with one or two tracks from this guy and don't need a whole album. Also, say it with me everyone! TOO. LONG. Normalize thirty-five minute albums again.

Full of hope for this, but it's not as good as I'd hoped for. The lead singer did make an arse of himself in a coastal town that I taught near many years ago mind.

An interesting mix of styles but falls flat in the middle, yet I bump it up to a 3 instead of going down to a 2

Funky, positive, but so so SOOOOOO same-ish. Is Jamiroquai's entire catalogue just ONE SONG?!

I always thought of Jamiroquai as a singles band, but this album proved me wrong. The acid jazz mixed with Jay Kay’s compelling vocals make for an enjoyable spin. They would drive this formula to poppier heights, but this debut is a fresh introduction. It’s a little drawn out at points and doesn’t flow like a cohesive album should, but there are plenty of highlights.

Can see why Jan likes this, very funky. That being said the songs can be quite long and other than a few they are quite mediocre so 3/5 for me

I've taken some time to rate this album. The more I think about Jamiroquai the lower the rating goes. I'm now at a 3. As the music receded, I'm left considering a silly little white guy singing black music, dressed as a native American and preaching environmental messages from behind the wheel of a gas-guzzling supercar. In a few hours I'll probably regret rating it so highly and I'll have to console myself with the memory of the time that photographer broke Jay Kay's nose with an epic headbutt.

Im torn between 3 and 4 on this one. This was my first listen of Jamiroquai outside of thier "Virtual Imsanity" song. Even that song, I sum up as entertaining at the least. Very reminiscent of Stevie Wonder.

Danced for a bit then the vocalist started to annoy me a bit

I have listened to Emergency On Planet Earth at least once before, to see what other music Jamiroquai has made besides the track "Virtual Insanity" (which is not on this album). In general, I like Jamiroquai. I'm not sure how to classify his music - it's got some funk to it, but I don't know enough about Funk and related genres to know how to describe this music. I liked the didgeridoo on various tracks ("Diggin' Out" was my highest rated individual track"). I'm willing to hear more from Jamiroquai, but this time through the album wasn't enough to round up to 4 stars.

Stevie Wonder if he were in a jam band. And couldn't play instruments. And couldn't write bangers.

My panties are unbunched. Not only can I not listen to this album without visualizing that stupid fuzzy hat, I can't even think of the name Jamiroquai without seeing that bizarre choice of headgear. That said, I was able to carry on through the album despite fuzzy-chapeau distractions dancing through my head. And it turned out "Virtual Insanity" was nowhere to be found here. Unless that applies to the crazy dancing behatted man in my daydreams. The fusion of jazz and funk often worked for me, the more disco-y bits not as much. Overall I liked "Emergency On Planet Earth" more than I thought I would.

I was expecting something completely different from Jamiroquai, which speaks to my severe lack of understanding of their genre. I thought they were more 90s alt-pop oriented and I tried a couple of their later songs and none of them were what I had in my head either. I sure wasn’t expecting funk infused acid jazz. I like both elements and I like the fusion. Of the two, I am excited by the funk aspects more. They make me want to get up and dance. I fully understand no one wants to see that, but the music does inspire it. The acid jazz aspects are interesting too, but ultimately they let me down. Jamiroquai just can’t help improvising and grooving as evidenced by 8+ minute Blow Your Mind and 10+ minute Revolution 1993. Had they stuck to tighter arrangements, I would gladly bump this another star. As constructed, it’s an album I’m perfectly happy to listen to, I’d want to dance to it, and get funky.

very jazzy and funny good good - didn’t feel too underwhelming but maybe my expectations were low. will definitely revisit. highlights: title track, revolution 1993, low 3.5

I can always appreciate good musicians, but jamming is only enjoyable for the musicians taking part in it, and the songwriting takes a back seat. The vocals were too much of a Stevie Wonder imitation.

Very interesting and surprising album, definitely an aquired taste. The music wasnt bad per se, but the songs went on for too long and the album was almost more fit as background music

Nice synth-laced jazzy jams. Maybe a bit too close to Stevie Wonder at times. Would have been a nice contrast to all the Grunge at the time.

I *hated* this band when I was a kid, didn't see the point and didn't know much of the music they were ripping off. I must have mellowed, because I thought this was ok. Only ok, but there's no way I would have given it more than one star a few years ago!

Is Jamiroquai good? I didn't know. I assumed they were annoying, but for no good reason. Bold cover. Let's give it a listen. Is that a digeridoo? That's fun. But I'm getting a strong hint of "I wish I were Stevie Wonder". Which I guess fair enough. Love the horns, strings, all the layers really. Sharp and clean. Funky. Having just done the Shaft soundtrack this album suffers in contrast, but still pretty good. Not sure it brings anything new to the table, though, more homage making than ground breaking. As a whole the album also lacks the attitude, joy, spark, conviction, magic, something to really put it over the line for me. I looked up a video to round out my impression and got "Virtual Insanity" which is again clever but not quite there, like if OK Go had just one idea and didn't push it to the point of joy. All the ingredients are there for this to be an enjoyable listen. But they don't quite come together like I want them to. I don't know. Maybe it is the cultural appropriation elephant in the room making me queasy. Without any context I might give this four stars, but I'm sticking with a "pretty good" three star rating because, well, context.

Some great tracks but too many weaker filler tracks for a 4*

realtively enjoyable album, even if it was a bit long but the weird noises in some of the songs brought it down

Funky acid jazzy, plus en sons qu'en paroles, musique d'ascenseur / d'ambiance de 5 à 7 de bureau.

oscar wilde once said, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…” but people often forget the second half of wilde’s saying “…that mediocrity can pay to greatness.” listening to jamiroquai’s obnoxiously derivative record Emergency on Planet Earth, that second half of wilde’s saying is ringing so loud and true. of course the results of a white man cosplaying stevie wonder is staunch mediocrity; such ugly middling nothingness that overstays its welcome and overshoots its ambitions, ending up an unseasoned pot of tunes that have been done better a million times before. all this isn’t to say jamiroquai’s brand of acid funk and jazzy tunes is completely without merit (influence is a beautiful thing, and there’s maybe a brief argument to made about his appreciation of the genres), but gosh it’s all so uninspired; this is a drugstore take on a sound made luxurious by funk pioneers who delicately carved a sonic style out of callused hands. it makes sense they never had any crossover success in the US: their music is borderline caricatural, and i’d rather listen to stevie wonder, thank you very much. [“Revolution 1993” is however, a banger…]

So I already know this album is going to kick ass. A couple songs in, my main fear is that it's going to be pretty linear. I like Jamiroquai, but I don't know his discography extensively. Still, I have liked what I heard. I think this album is more of a vibe-setter than an album with a lot to say. As it goes on, I think my suspicion is likely correct. I'm not finding individual tracks that jump out to me, but the whole album is kind of a jam to have on while I'm working. I did really like Revolution 1993, and the last track of disc 1, the didgeridoo track, is pretty boss. Before that though, there had been a long stretch of background music. As I get to the end of the back half, I'm finding to my dismay that there were no real revelations here - mostly lengthy remixes that didn't add much to the original version, and a couple of new tracks that are also rambly, meandering, and sadly underwhelming. The risk sometimes with an album made with a nostalgic lens is that it only manages to capture, not improve upon, the standard it is in tribute to. This album is funky and jazzy, but only as much as it needs to be to be a funk album. It doesn't feel like it brings anything new to the table. I'm bummed out.

Even back when it was fresh, hip, and popular, there was something about Jamiroquai's music that really got under my skin. I can't say exactly what it was, but it definitely had to do with the vocal qualities and the pretend funk rhythms. Things are way worse now, when it's hard to listen to the music and figure out how it was ever popular.