Jamiroquai | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Active since the early 90s, Jamiroquai have amassed a steady stream of hits in their native U.K. and experienced chart success in just about every other area of the world, with an irresistible blend of house rhythms and 70s-era soul/funk (the latter, especially, leading early on to claims of Stevie Wonder imitations). The band has gone through several lineup changes during its career, but through it all, their leader has remained singer/songwriter Jason Kay (aka J.K.). Born on December 30, 1969, in Stretford, Manchester, Kays mother, Karen, was a jazz singer who regularly performed at nightclubs, and in the 70s had her own TV show. After leaving home at the age of 15, Kay found himself homeless and in trouble with the law (by committing petty crimes to get by). After a near-death experience (where he was attacked and stabbed) and being arrested for a crime he did not commit, Kay decided to return home, where he chose to pursue a legitimate career over crime: music. Kay didnt have a band to back up his compositions, but he quickly came up with his future projects name, Jamiroquai, a name that combined the name of a Native American tribe (the Iroquois) along with the music-based word, jam. Kays home demos caught the attention of the record label Acid Jazz, which issued Jamiroquais debut single "When You Gonna Learn?" in late 1992. With Kay enlisting the help of others (Jamiroquais best-known lineup included drummer Derrick McKenzie, keyboard player Toby Smith, bassist Stuart Zender, and vibraphonist Wallis Buchanan), the single was a success and was soon followed by a long-term and lucrative recording contract with Sony. Jamiroquais full-length debut, Emergency on Planet Earth, followed in 1993 and became a major hit in their native England (peaking at number one on the charts), spawning such Top Ten hit singles as "Too Young to Die" and "Blow Your Mind." The bands second release, The Return of the Space Cowboy in 1995, managed to steer Jamiroquai clear of the sophomore jinx that affects so many up-and-coming bands by out-selling its predecessor in Europe and was a sizeable hit in Japan, as well. With most of the world dancing to Jamiroquais beat, America was next in line for the bands third effort, 1996s Traveling Without Moving. The album spawned the worldwide hit "Virtual Insanity," for which an award-winning video was filmed and helped the album achieve platinum status in the States by the years end (as well as a highlighted performance at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards). Despite achieving breakthrough success, bassist Zender opted to leave the group during sessions for its follow-up, which resulted in Kay scrapping almost an entire albums worth of new tracks in order to start from scratch with a new bassist (the slot would eventually go to newcomer Nick Fyffe). During the downtime, Jamiroquai contributed a brand-new track, "Deeper Underground," to the soundtrack for the 1998 movie Godzilla. But the long wait between albums seemed to kill Jamiroquais momentum in the U.S. slackened when 1999s Synkronized was largely ignored (although back home and across the globe, it was another major commercial success). Subsequently, it appeared as though the majority of Jamiroquais U.S. media attention focused on non-music-related events, such as the band turning down a million-dollar offer to play at a concert on New Years Eve 1999, and when Kay was accused of assaulting a tabloid photographer (with the charges later being dropped). It didnt take Jamiroquai as long the next time around to issue another album, with A Funk Odyssey hitting the racks two years later in 2001. Kay also helmed a volume in the mix-album series Late Night Tales. From there, Jamiroquai spent the next two years gathering material for a sixth studio album. Dynamite, which was finally released in 2005, was written and recorded in Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, Scotland, New York, Los Angeles, and Jamiroquais own Buckinghamshire studio. The groups seventh studio album, 2010s Rock Dust Light Star, dutifully blended the disco and electronic leanings of 2005s Dynamite with the organic, roots-based soul of the bands 1993 debut. In 2013, Jamiroquai marked their 20th Anniversary by reissuing remastered versions of their first three albums. Also around this time, they announced they had begun work on a new album and staged several short European tours. In 2017, they returned with their eighth studio album, Automaton, featuring the singles "Automaton" and "Cloud 9." Produced by Kay along with keyboardist Matt Johnson, the album found the band exploring the themes of rising technology and the deterioration of human interaction, albeit with all of the electro-funky trappings that Jamiroquai have become so well known for. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: Emergency on Planet Earth Released: 1993-06-14 Tracks: 10 Duration: 55:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo) (03:49) 2 Too Young to Die (06:05) 3 Hooked Up (04:35) 4 If I Like It, I Do It (04:53) 5 Music of the Mind (06:22) 6 Emergency on Planet Earth (04:05) 7 Whatever It Is, I Just Can’t Stop (04:07) 8 Blow Your Mind (08:32) 9 Revolution 1993 (10:16) 10 Didgin’ Out (02:38) |
| Emergency on Planet Earth : Allmusic album Review : Jamiroquai made a large initial splash in 1993 with Emergency on Planet Earth, a psychedelic melange of tight funky rhythms, acid rock intimations, and 70s soul melodies. Frontman Jay Kay introduces himself with an environmentally oriented manifesto inside the sleeve, and his lyrics smack of idealist save the planet revolution. But this revolution would be held on the dancefloor if the bands impressive rhythm section had anything to say about it. Horns, string arrangements, and a didgeridoo provide full texture on most of the albums tunes, and the socially aware party vibe raged into the U.K.s number one album slot. For a debut, Emergency shows quite a range of diversity, from the up-tempo jazzy instrumental "Music of the Mind" to the stop-start funk of "Whatever It Is, I Just Cant Stop." | ||
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: Lintégrale Des Maxi-Singles Released: 1994 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:42:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 When You Gonna Learn (live at Taratata) (02:25) 2 Tighten Up (live at Le Cercle de Minuit) (04:38) 3 Too Young to Die (live at Nulle Part Ailleurs) (05:16) 1 Too Young to Die (edit) (03:22) 2 Too Young to Die (extended version) (10:10) 3 Too Young to Die (06:05) 4 Too Young to Die (instrumental) (06:22) 1 Blow Your Mind (03:53) 2 Blow Your Mind (08:32) 3 Hooked Up (04:35) 4 When You Gonna Learn? (J. K. mix) (06:23) 1 Emergency on Planet Earth (03:37) 2 Emergency on Planet Earth (extended version) (04:10) 3 If I Like It I Do It (acoustic version) (04:23) 4 Revolution 1993 (demo) (10:19) 1 When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo) (03:49) 2 Didgin Out (03:26) 3 Too Young to Die (05:25) 4 When You Gonna Learn (Canté Hondo mix) (05:45) |
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: The Return of the Space Cowboy Released: 1994-10-17 Tracks: 21 Duration: 2:05:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Just Another Story (08:51) 2 Stillness in Time (04:17) 3 Half the Man (04:49) 4 Light Years (05:54) 5 Manifest Destiny (06:24) 6 The Kids (05:10) 7 Mr Moon (05:31) 8 Scam (07:04) 9 Journey to Arnhemland (05:23) 10 Morning Glory (06:23) 11 Space Cowboy (06:25) 1 Light Years (4 to Da Floor mix) (05:21) 2 Space Cowboy (David Morales Classic club remix) (07:51) 3 Space Cowboy (demo) (04:17) 4 Morning Glory (instrumental) (06:22) 5 Stillness in Time (04:17) 6 Space Clav (04:54) 7 Light Years (live) (05:57) 8 Scam (live) (05:13) 9 Journey to Arnhemland (live) (05:27) 10 We Gettin Down (live) (09:32) |
| The Return of the Space Cowboy : Allmusic album Review : Jamiroquais sophomore record had all the slinky grooves and great musicianship of the debut, but it also offered a better set of songs and more ambitious musical themes. As with Emergency on Planet Earth, Jason Kays dead-on impression of Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone drives the groups blend of acid jazz and funky R&B. "Space Cowboy" and "Light Years" were hits all over the world, and made the band stars in Europe and Japan, while substantial clubplay earned them a degree of recognition for American audiences. But Jamiroquai refused to be known as simply a party band; the group takes on social issues such as homelessness and Native Americans rights. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Travelling Without Moving Released: 1996-09-09 Tracks: 14 Duration: 54:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Virtual Insanity (05:41) 2 Cosmic Girl (04:03) 3 Use the Force (04:00) 4 Everyday (04:28) 5 Alright (04:25) 6 High Times (05:58) 7 Drifting Along (04:06) 8 Didjerama (03:50) 1 Didjital Vibrations (05:48) 2 Travelling Without Moving (03:40) 3 You Are My Love (03:55) 4 Spend a Lifetime (04:13) 5 [untitled] (?) 6 [untitled] (?) |
| Travelling Without Moving : Allmusic album Review : Travelling Without Moving deepens the acid jazz and 70s soul fusions of Return of the Space Cowboy, yet it doesnt have the uniform consistency of its predecessor. Nevertheless, Jamiroquais fusions sound more fully realized with each outing, which makes its patchy songwriting forgivable. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: Synkronized Released: 1999-06-07 Tracks: 10 Duration: 48:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Canned Heat (05:31) 2 Planet Home (04:44) 3 Black Capricorn Day (05:41) 4 Soul Education (04:15) 5 Falling (03:45) 6 Destitute Illusion (05:40) 7 Supersonic (05:15) 8 Butterfly (04:28) 9 Where Do We Go From Here? (05:13) 10 King for a Day (03:40) |
| Synkronized : Allmusic album Review : Three years after their breakout Travelling Without Moving, Jamiroquai returned with another album that charts Jay Kays continuing fascination with club-bound music of the 1970s -- from disco to jazz-funk to rare groove to later Motown -- but also shows signs of maturity. Produced by Kay with Al Stone, who also collaborated on Travelling Without Moving, the album includes several tracks (like the single "Canned Heat") that work infectious acid jazz grooves, and Kays hipster vocals give out feel-good vibes through a set of ambiguously good-time lyrics. Though other tracks show a bit of an electronica update to the affairs, each still spotlights how strong and tight the band is. It may not be a leap ahead in sound, but Synkronized is another solid Jamiroquai record. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: A Funk Odyssey Released: 2001-08-29 Tracks: 10 Duration: 48:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Feel So Good (05:20) 2 Little L (04:55) 3 You Give Me Something (03:23) 4 Corner of the Earth (05:40) 5 Love Foolosophy (03:45) 6 Stop Don’t Panic (04:34) 7 Black Crow (04:02) 8 Main Vein (05:05) 9 Twenty Zero One (05:15) 10 Picture of My Life / So Good to Feel Real (06:16) |
| A Funk Odyssey : Allmusic album Review : After the jarring reception of 1999s Synkronized, Jamiroquai constructed A Funk Odyssey, something more polished and slick inside the bands own brand of funky disco-rock. Jason Kay and keyboardist/songwriter Toby Smith perfected a maturation that was left keyed in Travelling Without Moving but left open-ended on Synkronized for a wide scope of musical delight. A Funk Odyssey taps into various illustrious grooves of the Latin world, classic rock, and mainstream club culture, and Jamiroquai is tight and eager to make everyone shake their groove thing in their own light. The first single, "Little L," beams with Kajagoogoo-like synths while warping into a funk-driven hue of orchestral whirlpools, but Jamiroquai allows the bands extroverted and unattached personality to shine on the worldbeat-tinged "Corner of the Earth." Kay strips aside all disco humor and grandeur for something personally inviting, something thats heartfelt, too. A Funk Odyssey sparks classic enthusiasm, and it feels good. Dance music is not just a design, its something far more tangible, and Jamiroquai surely captures a fierce desire to make it more emotional on the bands own level. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: LateNightTales: Jamiroquai Released: 2003-11-03 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:05:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Happiness (03:53) 2 Girl I Think the World About You (04:26) 3 Once You Get Started (04:10) 4 Fantasy (04:30) 5 Whisper Zone (02:57) 6 What’s Your Name (03:56) 7 Stay Free (04:50) 8 Tonight’s the Night (04:43) 9 Pretty Baby (03:55) 10 California Dreaming (04:08) 11 Here’s to You (04:11) 12 Rainin Through My Sunshine (03:37) 13 Here, My Dear (02:48) 14 Music of the Earth (04:00) 15 The White City, Part 3 (09:30) |
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Dynamite Released: 2005-05-20 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:49:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Feels Just Like It Should (04:34) 2 Dynamite (04:57) 3 Seven Days in Sunny June (03:57) 4 Electric Mistress (03:54) 5 Starchild (05:13) 6 Love Blind (03:33) 7 Talullah (06:06) 8 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (05:00) 9 World That He Wants (03:12) 10 Black Devil Car (04:47) 11 Hot Tequila Brown (04:38) 1 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (Steve Mac Classic remix) (08:18) 2 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (Freemasons remix) (09:55) 3 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (Freemasons dub) (07:34) 4 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (Ashley Beedle Heavy disco dub) (07:20) 5 Seven Days in Sunny June (Kraak & Smaak remix) (07:27) 6 Seven Days in Sunny June (Blackbeard remix) (06:05) 7 Feels Just Like It Should (Mark Ronson remix 2) (03:49) 8 Feels Just Like It Should (Timo Maas remix) (09:32) |
| Dynamite : Allmusic album Review : Not unlike one of its lead singer Jay Kays much publicized Lamborghinis, the U.K. funk band Jamiroquai is primarily a vehicle for its frontmans various fetishes. Which is another way of saying that Kay loves disco and fancy retro sneakers and he wears both well. He has done so ever since he hippie-danced his way out of the acid jazz ghetto of the early 90s with Jamiroquais revelatory debut album, Emergency on Planet Earth. That album featured Kays bright and soulful vocals against 70s-style funk and drew obvious comparisons to Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, and sundry other icons of vintage R&B.; Not too much has changed in the years since and 2005s Dynamite finds Kay and Co. delving once again into various 70s- and 80s-inspired dance sounds. Similar to 2001s dazzlingly slick Funk Odyssey, Dynamite reveals Kay as a dancefloor eclectic, inclined to grab as much from Chic and Parliament as Kajagoogoo, the Police, and Terry Callier. Keeping to this grab bag aesthetic, Kay makes the most of his experimentation with some "vocal bass synthetics" on the hard funk title track. Also engaging is the melancholy soul-folk of "Seven Days in Sunny June" and the similarly quiet storm-ready ballad "Talullah." On the funky side of things, "Starchild" finds Kay proclaiming the coming of a disco superman while "Time Wont Wait" is an infectious Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson boogie fest with Kay urging people to make their dreams come true over a bed of pulsating disco beats. The Jamiroquai faithful would accept nothing less. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: High Times: Singles 1992-2006 Released: 2006-11-06 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:14:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When You Gonna Learn (03:49) 2 Too Young to Die (03:23) 3 Blow Your Mind (03:53) 4 Emergency on Planet Earth (03:37) 5 Space Cowboy (03:37) 6 Virtual Insanity (03:48) 7 Cosmic Girl (03:47) 8 Alright (03:42) 9 High Times (04:10) 10 Deeper Underground (04:46) 11 Canned Heat (03:48) 12 Little L (single edit) (03:58) 13 Love Foolosophy (03:45) 14 Corner of the Earth (03:54) 15 Feels Just Like It Should (04:34) 16 Seven Days in Sunny June (04:02) 17 (Dont) Give Hate a Chance (03:50) 18 Runaway (03:46) 19 Radio (04:12) |
| High Times: Singles 1992-2006 : Allmusic album Review : Collecting most of Jamiroquais singles since lead singer Jay Kay first donned a large furry buffalo hat for the bands 1992 debut, Emergency on Planet Earth, High Times: Singles 1992-2006 is a superb listen and a great summation of what has made the retro-futurist funk band so successful. Sure, High Times doesnt include every single they released -- the fantastic "Light Years" and "You Give Me Something" arent included -- and admittedly it was largely put together to fulfill and finish off Jamiroquais contract with Sony. Nonetheless, as an encapsulation of what makes Jamiroquai such a phenomenal pop-funk-dance entity, its an infectiously listenable affair. Running chronologically through the most recognizable singles Kay and company have released, High Times is easily the best collection of Jamiroquai tunes on one disc and hits all of the most memorable tracks off each of the groups albums. Included are such well-known tracks as "Virtual Insanity" (the bands breakthrough single) and "Cosmic Girl," as well as such similarly catchy and funky cuts as the didgeridoo-driven "When You Gonna Learn," the blissed-out "Space Cowboy," and the latter-day would-be disco classic "Little L." Also included are two new recordings, "Runaway" and "Radio," that solidly stand on their own pop merits. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2007 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:10:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo) (03:49) 2 Too Young to Die (06:05) 3 Blow Your Mind (08:32) 4 Emergency on Planet Earth (04:05) 5 Whatever It Is, I Just Can’t Stop (04:07) 6 Hooked Up (04:35) 7 Space Cowboy (06:25) 8 Half the Man (04:49) 9 Mr Moon (05:31) 10 Stillness in Time (04:17) 11 Do You Know Where Youre Coming From (03:41) 12 Virtual Insanity (05:41) 13 Cosmic Girl (04:03) 14 Everyday (04:28) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: Live at Montreux 2003 Released: 2007-10-01 Tracks: 15 Duration: 2:15:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Use the Force (09:40) 2 Canned Heat (07:45) 3 Cosmic Girl (08:56) 4 Little L (05:56) 5 Blow Your Mind (05:42) 6 High Times (07:42) 7 Travelling Without Moving (14:38) 8 Butterfly (08:22) 1 Shoot the Moon (08:56) 2 Soul Education (12:41) 3 Just Another Story (12:14) 4 Mr Moon (06:50) 5 Alright (09:56) 6 Love Foolosophy (09:17) 7 Deeper Underground (07:22) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Rock Dust Light Star Released: 2010-10-29 Tracks: 12 Duration: 52:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Rock Dust Light Star (04:40) 2 White Knuckle Ride (03:35) 3 Smoke and Mirrors (04:31) 4 All Good in the Hood (03:36) 5 Hurtin (04:17) 6 Blue Skies (03:52) 7 Lifeline (04:40) 8 Shes a Fast Persuader (05:17) 9 Two Completely Different Things (04:26) 10 Goodbye to My Dancer (04:07) 11 Never Gonna Be Another (04:08) 12 Hey Floyd (05:09) |
| Rock Dust Light Star : Allmusic album Review : Coming a half-decade after 2005s Dynamite, 2010s Rock Dust Light Star finds Jamiroquai and its frontman, Jay Kay, trying to re-ignite the funk machine by heading back to its rock and organic soul roots. In that sense, Rock Dust retains much of the black-light disco power that made such previous singles as "Little L" from 2001s A Funk Odyssey and "Feels Just Like it Should" from Dynamite such dancefloor burners. However, the album is a bit of a grower, with Kay evincing more of an interest in knotty, long-form funk numbers that take their sweet time to reach their inevitable, euphorically funky pop pinnacle. Nonetheless, Kay, having entered his forties, doesnt seem to be letting up on the disco gas -- nor the literal kind as the helicopter and Porsche-sploitation video for the funky slick single "White Knuckle Ride" proves. Still, Kay has revealed more of a passion for laid-back, acoustic guitar-driven tracks, and the mid-album ballad "Blue Skies" is perhaps the best one hes ever written. The more booty-minded faithful get a bevy of tracks including the aforementioned "White Knuckle Ride," as well as the Jazz Crusaders-sounding "Smoke and Mirrors" featuring a muscular saxophone solo outro. Elsewhere, Kay delves into the bluesy slow-burn acid rock of "Hurtin," which takes its time to build to a wicked, soulful climax, and then the oft-headdressed singer goes all 80s robot-disco-funk on the Jaco Pastorius bass-inspired "Shes a Fast Persuader." Ultimately, with the albums mix of horns, various percussion instruments, piano, and a general live-in-studio vibe combined with a mature "deep cut" songwriting approach, Rock Dust Light Star does bring to mind the more full-band sound of Jamiroquais early acid jazz albums and goes a long way toward reestablishing Kay as a uniquely talented and legitimate heir to the 70s funk throne. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Automaton Released: 2017-03-31 Tracks: 12 Duration: 57:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Shake It On (05:14) 2 Automaton (04:47) 3 Cloud 9 (03:56) 4 Superfresh (03:48) 5 Hot Property (04:31) 6 Something About You (03:58) 7 Summer Girl (05:31) 8 Nights Out in the Jungle (05:09) 9 Dr Buzz (06:01) 10 We Can Do It (04:06) 11 Vitamin (04:26) 12 Carla (05:33) |
| Automaton : Allmusic album Review : As the title implies, Jamiroquais eighth studio album, 2017s Automaton, is a dancefloor-friendly production inspired as much by lead singer Jay Kays famous love of sports cars as Giorgio Moroders synth and drum machine-heavy productions of the 70s and 80s. More broadly, the album also fits into Kays fascination with the effect technology has both positively and negatively on our lives and on the planet (i.e., 1993s "Emergency on Planet Earth" and 1996s "Virtual Insanity"). Which is to say, this is pretty much the same album Kay has been making since at least 2001s A Funk Odyssey. Here, we get several catchy club-ready singles ("Automaton" and "Cloud 9") front-loaded with a handful of pleasant, often inventive album tracks designed less to rock the charts than for Kay to rock the European tour circuit. To those ends, Automaton works quite well, finding Kay in fluid vocal form and living up to his image as a global, time-traveling, playboy magic-man. Helping Kay conjure the funk magic this time is longtime keyboardist Matt Johnson, who co-produced and co-wrote much of the album. While previous outings found Jamiroquai evincing Moroders slick robo-funk, Automaton is the closest theyve come to making an outright Moroder-style album. Which means that, while the album plays well with the disco end of their output (think "Little L" or "Cosmic Girl"), fans of the groups more organic, analog funk end may come away feeling somewhat compressed. In that sense, Automaton fits nicely alongside similarly inclined works like Daft Punks own Moroder homage Random Access Memories and Two Door Cinema Clubs Gameshow. With Kays lithe croon at the center, cuts like the aforementioned "Cloud 9" and the steamy "Something About You are black-light dancefloor bangers full of pulsing synths, icicle-crisp guitars, and the occasional goosebump-inducing orchestral string flourish. Also infectious are tracks like the Rick James does 70s Europop number "Hot Property" and the humid disco anthem "Summer Girl," replete with a chorus of female backing singers. There are few bands who play classic disco-funk with as much genuine love for the genre and care in the productions as Kay and Jamiroquai. Ultimately, its that sense of love and good vibes that drives much of Automaton. | ||