Jamiroquai Synkronized

Jamiroquai includes: Jay Kay (vocals); Simon Katz, Irwin Kelles (guitar); Wallis Buchanan (digeridoo); Toby Smith (keyboards); Nick Fyffe (bass); Derrick McKenzie (drums); Sola Akingbola (percussion); Katie Kissoon, Beverley Skeet (background vocals).
Recorded at Chillington Studio, Buckinghamshire, England.
On their fourth record, Jamiroquai continue their quest to drag dance music into the new millennium with a sound that fuses influences from the past with an international spin. This time around, Jamiroquai uses the string-heavy Gamble & Huff arrangements of classic '70s Philly soul as its musical touchstone. Songs such as "Canned Heat" and "Butterfly" establish a mood that moves from booty-shaking grooves to hypnotic head-bobbing thanks to generous dollops of fuzz bass, darting strings and propulsive percussion.
Even though frontman Jay Kay's vocals are a little too reminiscent of Stevie Wonder's upper register, the addition of wicked Clavinet and wah-wah guitar point the musical vibe more towards Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, particularly on the blaxploitative funk of "Soul Education" and "Black Capricorn Day." "Supersonic" is a multi-cultural smorgasbord that finds Jamiroquai crossing Latin-flavored percussion with the otherworldly sounds of the Australian didgeridoo. The result is an aural playground of bouncing rhythms and electronic effects.

• Genre: R&B
• Format: Vinyl