Although I didn’t know it at the time, all my friends at school in England were way cooler than me. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Guns n’ Roses, Blind Melon and the Peppers while they were into the Acid Jazz scene that was considered extremely hip in England at the time.
But I wasn’t strictly hard rock and grunge. I also wanted to be seen as cool so I used to go with my friends and check out live acts playing in a tiny venue called The Penny Theatre. Bands like the Brand New Heavies, Galliano and Jamiroquai, all of whom went on to become successful but none more so than Jay Kay and his crew. The night we saw them I’m not sure they even had a record deal yet. Without wishing to incriminate anyone, my friend (allegedly) purchased some of that stuff you smoke – similar to tobacco but greener and more effective – from the man himself. That is (allegedly) a true story. That cheeky little chappy on the microphone who is now a huge star was doing what he had to do to make ends meet.
Of all the bands from the scene, Jamiroquai were the best. It was exciting when their first album Emergency on Planet Earth came out – we felt like they were our band because we had seen them in a little theatre down the road and also because we got high on their supply. At 16, that pretty much made you a god.
That first album ended up going platinum in the UK and from that point on Jamiroquai were never quite as cool as they were that night in The Penny Theatre playing to 200 people. They went from zero to hero so quickly that they never had time to be thought of as “fashionable”. A blessing in disguise for bands, because if you’re ever in fashion, then some day you’re also going to be out of it. Instead you become fashion-proof like Sade or AC/DC, who appear out of nowhere every five to ten years and sell millions and millions of records.
Another requirement for this style of success is that your sound doesn’t alter too much over the years. Whilst Jamiroquai have flirted with disco and even rockier sounds over the years, there’s no mistaking who they are when you hear one of their songs on the radio.
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Emergency on Planet Earth and Return of the Space Cowboy had a kind of jazz/funk sound that didn’t sound over-produced and featured a didgeridoo player as well as references to Mother Earth and Native Americans which sounds a bit naff but was actually kind of endearing. Then the didgeridoo player got fired, their sound got beefed up and more produced (the influence of Sony BMG no doubt) and the band went even huger with Travelling Without Moving, which me and my South African crew listened to a lot in the mid to late 90s. It had that great single: Virtual Insanity, with the cool video. And that Deeper Underground single was sick. But if someone asked you what bands you liked, you would never say Jamiroquai. It was always more of a “safe bet at parties” kind of thing or a guilty pleasure if you felt like dancing alone in your bedroom. We all went to see them play at the Bellville Velodrome in the early 00s and it was a blast.
What’s cool about this new record is that it’s a bit of a return to their old recipe – strong and varied song writing and more authentic sounds like horns, guitars, vintage keys plus a brilliantly funky rhythm section (bass and drums). Universal/Mercury seem to be allowing more freedom to the band, making for a collection of lushly produced tracks that tickle some kind of funny bone and make your body start moving almost involuntarily. Good speakers and plenty of volume are essential to enjoying the intricacies of this music.
Jay Kay himself has an infectious personality and behaves like a “rock star” should, with a collection of vintage Ferraris, a series of beautiful women on his arm, a huge house in the countryside and a passion for that stuff that he (allegedly) sold to my friend that night in the early nineties. He seems to be having fun, and that is really what makes this album great. It’s fun, but it’s also got depth in terms of the musicianship and the sheer vibrancy of the sounds coming out of your speakers. Sometimes it’s awesome to hear some really tight grooves. Also, Jay Kay is a gifted singer. The title track opens the album and it’s a beautiful, mid-tempo, introspective song, silky smooth with irresistible guitar playing that builds and builds – quite subdued for this band, but a lovely little number. The following track, White Knuckle Ride, is a master-class in the funk and the album continues from there with fat bass lines, punchy horns and great singing. Other tracks I dig so far are Hurtin’ and She’s a Fast Persuader. Is the world ready for another Jamiroquai album? Well, I took a break from this band, and at one point I may have considered my music tastes to have advanced beyond them, but it’s great to hear them again. So I am going to represent the world and say yes. I don’t care how discerning your music tastes are – you’re just weird if you don’t have some Jamiroquai records in your collection – this one included. It’s fine, just let go and enjoy it.
– G-Man
Catch G-Man every Wednesday at 10h30 on 2oceansvibe Radio for ‘G-Man’s School Of Rock’
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