Jamiroquai

Funk Odyssey

Where'd the band go?

Review Score:

(4/10)
This album is more of a disco odyssey than a funk odyssey. I loved Jamiroquai because they could really JAM. This requires a band. This album is mostly techno sound effects. Where's the digeridoo ? They have now transitioned from a very original dance/funk/jazz sound to a disco/funk sound. This album is a better attempt than their last one, it has much higher production values. But it seems a bit hollow to me. I think they are really hurting from the loss of their old bassist. The rhythm section really used to rock. now it is mickey mouse, when you can hear it behind the techno synth stuff. This album does do a good job of capturing the sound of many genres from the 70's. It will remind you of many other tunes. But in the process it has lost that original sound branding of Jamoriquai. Take out the voice and you couldn't tell who made the tune. Do that with Jamiroqaui's earlier albums and it was still their own sound - you can tell it's them. I don't know maybe they had an egotistical producer pulling all the strings. It really sounds like they hired some bigshot producer and he just morphed everything into "his" own sound. Beats me. Jamiroquai is kind of hollow for me without that original sound. JK's voice surrounded by sound effects (albeit high quality production ones) ain't enough to do it for me.

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