A Funk Odyssey

There are some songs which stand out as real "Its a good job we dont have tapes anymore cos it would be worn out by now" .Besides 'Litte L' there is the fantastic track 4 'Corner of the Earth' which opens like a massive Bolliwood film and then chills out with Jay-Kay telling you 'this corner of the earth it smiles at me' ...and we all smile back and admire a brilliant arrangment which must challenge for the number one tune of all time. Another cracker is track 7 'Black crow' which is the only laid back tune on this disk. Only when you think it cant get better along comes track ten 'Picture of my life' which sees a simple guitar help Jay Kay reflect on things and ask for "a picture of my life with a letter telling me how it should really be instead".

This is a simply superb piece of work - this is why i wrote this review - if you havent bought it already then you are missing out. Its less of the Acid Jazz from the early days and not as angry at the world as a whole like on 'Emergency on Planet earth' although he does cast a word of warning at some of the modern inventions that so many people clamber for such as on " Twenty zero one " where he says " Don't want the sex to stop. I took a pill now its killing me to keep it up!" ...can you guess what it is yet.

Finally, i hope the next albums are as good as this one - its gonna be a hard act to follow - certainly 10 /10 , 5 stars, a hit, ........

If you are a music man who has been confined to listen to jamiroquai only on the radio, you would only be familiar with the pop/dance tunes he unearths once every year or so. I would recommend you to buy this, his most user-friendly album yet, as his first three singles are more than worth the cost on their own. Then you should buy Synkronized and work your way through five albums in reverse chronological order, and get some funk in your life!

A friend of mine once accused all Jamiroquai songs of sounding the same. How unfounded this statement was I can't explain. I can't think of a greater example than 'A Funk Odyssey' to dispel that misconception. All the tracks are original, inspired and definitely different. On the whole the album does have a funky more feel to it and I believe the seeds of this new-found extra-funkiness (they have always been there) were sown and grew roots in the album preceding this - 'Synkronized'.

Let's go through the tracks. Please remember these are just my interpretations and yours will obviously differ.

1.'Feel So Good'. This is a great opener to any album and, in my humble opinion, the best starter to any Jamiroquai album. The first sounds you hear are crystals blowing in the interstellar winds and you can almost imagine yourself moving through space at fantastic speed, enter a lovely funky deep beat backed by a wonderful bass guitar, the song carries you and takes you on a fantastic funky journey through space. 8/10

2.'Little L'. This was the 1st single from the album to be released in the UK and it reached No.5. This was a great floor filler and is reall a modern disco track. It was rumoured that he wrote this track with his ex-fiancée, Denise Van Outen, in mind but no one knows for sure. This is a great track to dance to full, of soulful beats and a nice backing tune, very catchy. 8/10

3.'You Give Me Something'. This was the 2nd single to be released in the UK and reached No.16. This is more laid back than the first two tracks and is a song that ideally should be played to your significant other. If you listen to the lyrics you can hear it's really a love (I used the term lightly) song, but a funky one! 7/10

4.'Corner Of The Earth'. This is a great track. This was the fourth to be released in the UK and their last single release to date. This a laid back, chill-out track that literally takes you to your own corner of the Earth to relax and look at the world around you. The song slips along gently and there is a great sample that sounds almost Egyptian in sound at the beginning of the track and at the end, thus giving me the image of a beautiful oasis in the expansive Nubian Desert. It's ideal to listen to outdoors on a hot summer's day. 9/10

5.'Love Foolosophy'. This is another fantastic track. This was the third single to be released from this album and reached No.16 in the UK charts. This is a really fun song, full of vibrancy and zest. It rips along at a roaring pace encouraging you to keep up. It has a catchy guitar rift and quick beat. The lyrics quickly become etched in your mind and have you humming along in no time. On listening to the lyrics closely you discover that it's a song about realising the person you are with is no good for you and that you've been a love fool. This shows you how to express your 'Love Foolosophy'. 9/10

6.'Stop Don't Panic'. A darker song , with heavy beats and heavier guitars. I like this track as it is perfectly placed in the album to change the pace. It is different and I would guess that this may be the dislike of many listeners as it is not what you would expect to come from Jamiroquai, but I like it for its originality. 8/10

7.'Black Crow'. Another stand-out track! This really slows down the pace and is a mellow and melancholy song. You are taken on a ride with a black crow in this song soaring above the polluted Earth, looking at the devastation and destruction we have caused around us. It is lyrically a wonderful song and poses some very important questions. Great Stuff! 9/10

8.'Main Vein'. If I had to single out a weak track on the album, this would be it. I don't really think it's in keeping with the rest of the songs on the album and it's too heavy and just doesn't work for me. It's not a bad song, I've just come to expect better from Mr. Kay and his entourage, also I don't think it works in context. Still an OK song to listen to, just sometimes it will pass by and I won't have any recollection of listening to it, an easily forgettable track, but with its merits. 6/10

9.'Twenty Zero One'. This is another dark track bringing up the rear of the album and another good effort. This succeeds where the song preceding it doesn't. It has some meaning and is really, in my opinion, a song describing how the year 2001 is. I think it conjures up images of darkness and turmoil very well. With heavy electronic and synthetic sounds, this takes you on a dark tumbling journey filled with purpose. 8/10

10.'Picture Of My Life'. This is the best track on the album. Pure lyrical brilliance, unrivalled by any other song he has written. Inspirational, heart-felt, there are thousands of other adjectives I could use that wouldn't do this song justice. The tune is passionate and the words and wonderfully written. It is a song about the futility and fragility of life and a song that poses the great question...why are we here? 10/10

In conclusion: another great outing by Jamiroquai et al and a must-have addition for any collection.