Crazy-hat-wearing high-flying
Jay Kay and his crew of funky instrumentalists have returned to the studio
after seven years. Was the return of the space cowboy necessary in 2017? Or are
there already enough disco/funk revival acts out there?
This decade has already witnessed the likes of ‘Uptown Funk’
and ‘Get Lucky’ topping the charts. And the underground scene already has its
fair share of funk revivalists such as Thundercat and Anderson Paak. If
Jamiroquai were going to jump back on the bandwagon, they’d have to come out
with something a little more exciting than their 2010 adult contemporary album Rock Dust Light Star.
Automaton sees Jay
continuing to deliver his signature croons, sounding slightly more worn than on
previous records – probably from years of public tantrums. The lyrics are as
goofy as ever, consisting largely of space babble, boogie talk and relationships
with femme fatales straight out of a Bond movie. But it’s all innocently fun – if
Jay was singing about death and politics, I’d be worried.
Fortunately, the band have stepped up their game since their
last record. These instrumentals are ridiculously funky and feelgood – up there
with the band's Virtual-Insanity-era work. In fact, they make you realise most modern
funk is more watered down than service station coffee. ‘Hot Property’'s diving
bassline and outro of layered synths is audial sex, and the groove of ‘Something
About You’ is enough to get a deaf man tapping his foot. There’s also clear
signs of progression – ‘Automaton’ adopting robo-vocals and some sharp futuristic synths
that sound like they were engineered by Martians.
‘Nights Out In The Jungle’ is really the only dud in the mix
– an attempt at funk-flavoured hip hop that’s tasteful but seems to just plod
on aimlessly for four minutes. All in all, this may not be a ground-breaking
album, but if you’re looking for cartoonishly-vibrant dance music without the
pop filter or Hiatus Kaiyote-esque noodling, this album is your lifeline.
★★★★☆
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