After spending almost 5 years in the music wilderness since the release of 2005 offering, 'Dynamite', Jamiroquai enjoy a welcome reawakening with their 7th studio album, 'Rock Dust Light Star'. Fronted by energetic, big hat wearing Jay Kay, the band triumphantly and effortlessly deliver yet more jazz/funk with a hint of electro in the way only Jamiroquai can.
As on previous albums, funky bass and guitar remain the overriding theme from the outset. It soon becomes clear the self imposed, half decade hiatus has done no harm whatsoever and although their sound has been preserved, it retains a contemporary feel.
Such is Jamiroquai’s varied influences, its little surprise to find a clever coming together of styles in just one tune. ‘Hey Floyd’ displays this. A trademark change is deliberately emphasised by piano and strings which subsequently becomes sandwiched between a Latin American start and reggae-esque middle section. It really shouldn’t work but somehow it does.
At 41, singer/song writer Jay Kay isn’t getting any younger nor is he musically out of touch by any stretch of the imagination neither. This Experience has enabled him to pen songs about lost love and recollections of better days which make up the vast majority of the album.
From the chilled, spacey ‘Goodbye to my Dancer’ to the buoyant ‘Hurtin’, both depict tales of break-ups. “How the hell did I lose ‘ya?” is the leading line from the latter and I suppose its concept is rather self explanatory. The music itself is a well crafted, rock based track mainly built around sharp electric guitar and classic rock beat. ‘Rock Dust Light Star’ carries on the upbeat tempo offering a typically smooth guitar led track, a killer hook and impressive vocals.
As Jay Kay, says himself... “it’s all good in the hood”
Stereoboard Album Rating: 7/10
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At 41, singer/song writer Jay Kay isn’t getting any younger nor is he musically out of touch by any stretch of the imagination neither. This Experience has enabled him to pen songs about lost love and recollections of better days which make up the vast majority of the album.
