Jamiroquai, whose fame can be easily seen overseas, particularly in Britain, is relatively unknown here in the states. While he has had many successful records here in the U.S., his most famous moment probably only comes from his song “Canned Heat” being the background music to Napoleon Dynamite’s famous dance routine. While it’s hard to say how successful Dynamite will be once it is released here (it doesn’t come out until September 20th), it’s easily the best album Jason Kay’s vehicle band has put out in at least a decade. The single and first track of “Feels Just Like It Should” can be immediately recognized as a huge departure from their typical sound, with it’s overdone funkified drum-kit and swelling guitar parts, it could easily be confused for an oddball George Clinton concoction. Things return to some sense of normalcy from “Dynamite” on, as the songs effortlessly flow from one to the next creating a non-stop groove that creates the ultimate club atmosphere for a party of one (or more if you’re playing it for others). Typically, a sense of redundancy is the weak-point in albums of this genre, a fault that Jamiroquai almost overcomes. Slow jams like “Seven Days In Sunny June” and the even better “Talullah” help break the cycle of otherwise very upbeat and danceable songs. Another very well done song is the rowdy “Black Devil Car,” which frolics along and strays closer to the rock-side of the musical spectrum, much like the aforementioned “Feels Just Like It Should.” All in all, Jamiroquai keeps it musically interesting, and Dynamite truly is a great album, if for nothing else, to have for those fun-filled weekend nights. Dynamite as an album can and should be also seen more than that however, as the group enhanced their sound ever so slightly out of the Studio 54 shtick to a slightly more contemporary soul/rock formula, which works very, very well.
★★★★☆
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