Posted on 09/26/2005

 

It has been roughly four years since Jamiroquai released its last record, A Funk Odyssey, in 2001. There has since been somewhat of a funk-drought in the UK—as if Europe coasted on pseudo-grooves in anticipation for Jay Kay’s cosmic mind to get back into action. Well, Jay has, and with an entirely new lineup on Jamiroquai’s most recent venture, the cleverly titled Dynamite (a reference lost on those who have not seen the film Napoleon Dynamite).



pon listening to the nasty, gritty, fuzzy first track, “Feels Just Like It Should”, any musichead will recognize the serious heat (among the best efforts by Jay Kay and company… ever). After "Feels…", I thought Jamiroquai's four-year absence from the studio may have led the group in new directions. However, the remaining tracks deliver a disappointing par performance.



fter going from funksanity on track one, we are led back into the good old Jamiroquai days—four-on-the-floor disco funk. Not bad (Jamiroquai cannot be bad at this point), but nothing spectacular either. We see a middle ground between the electric Jay Kay and the band Jamiroquai on Dynamite—a mix between A Funk Odyssey and The Return of the Space Cowboy.

Regardless, this album is most definitely worth the buy, and despite its somewhat formula-formatting, it’s still a solid release.