Saturday, October 1, 2005

ALMOST four years on from the release of their last album, the multi-platinum, no.1 Funk Odyssey, Jay Kay and his band return with their eagerly anticipated sixth studio album, entitled Dynamite. A high-octane, super-charged slab of feel-good, funk-rock, Dynamite is both a consolidation of 13 years of Jamiroquai’s trademark sound and a thumbs down to anyone who thinks that at 35, Jay Kay might be resting on his country pile. From the sublime and stripped down World That He Wants to the rocking Black Devil Car to the mega-funk of the hit single Feels Just Like It Should, the album is set to further enhance Jamiroquai’s reputation as one of the UK’s most successful exports of the last decade and more, with over 20 million worldwide album sales to date. Most lyrics point towards someone who is single and looking for love as if that is what is going on in the artist’s mind, and there is a great mixture of solid funk, R&B with a peppering of guitar-strumming rock. With Jay Kay at the helm, tracks off the new album and all the Jamiroquai favourites such as Return Of The Space Cowboy, Love Foolosophy, Cosmic Girl, You Give Me Something, Picture Of My Life and Feel So Good, this is going to be one great party.

Best track: Feels Just Like It Should

Worst track: Electric Mistress

Common’s follow-up to Electric Circus is this heady mix of hip hop, R’n’B and urban narrative. When the bass and strings swing out from the opening Sweet Children, it feels like the listener is in for a decidedly established record. Common starts his state of the union address with street saga The Corner, with its infectious breaks and vocals by The Last Poets. He can rhyme with the best, but here he opts to sing, and producer Kanye West adds his signature style without dominating the disc. Real People has a Philly soul influence and sounds demonstrative instead of opportunistic like so many pretenders to the game. Other highlights include the blessedly Love Is and It’s Your World. In the former, Common manages to see both sides of overwhelming romantic warmth, while in the latter he lays out the ambiguously tragic story of average people who had high hopes for themselves — a favoured topic of Common’s entire career.

Best track: Chi City

Worst track: Testify

Rating ***

One of the originators of the Manchester Sound of the 1980s, New Order is one of those legendary bands that would have a hard time making a crappy album, and Waiting for the Sirens’ Call is no exception to the rule, appealing to both the students of today and the now 30 to 40-something original fan-base. This is one for the old New Order fans — returning to their roots after a foray into the world of rock, the band is once more pumping out catchy, danceable pop. Contending for the most nostalgic return to form are Jetstream and Guilt is a Useless Emotion, filled as they are with ever-so-corny lyrics and toe-tapping electronic beats. There are moments when the band seem to sit back and reflect on that passage of time — like Hey Now What You Doing, which comes across as a sort of introduction for new listeners — but the most impressive thing about Sirens is the non-jaded attitude at its core. The title track makes another gem, taking a light and breezy approach to rediscovered love, with lyrics like, "I won’t desert you, I don’t know what to say, I really hurt you, I nearly gave it all the way". If New Order’s aspiration were to reinforce themselves in their fans’ imaginations as members of a working band, then the album is a super success for sure.

Best track: Jetstream

Worst track: Dracula’s Castle

Rating: **