A Funk Odyssey

1	Feel So good 5:21
2	Little L 4:55
3	You Give Me Something 3:23
4	Corner Of The Earth 5:40
5	Love Foolosophy 3:45
6	Stop Don't Panic 4:34
7	Black Crow 4:02
8	Main Vein 5:05
9	Twenty Zero One 5:15
10	Picture of My Life 6:17

Barnes & Noble

Following in the footsteps of their breakthrough disc, 1997's Travelling without Moving, and rebounding from the less-than-stellar commercial welcome they received with 1999's Synkronized, British R&B group Jamiroquai break their two-year silence with A Funk Odyssey -- a disc deep in retro-soul grooves and thoughtful lyrics. Still sounding like Stevie Wonder's love child, frontman Jay Kay strikes a balance between the electro-funk of "Feel So Good" and airier fare such as the meditative, bossa nova-flavored "Picture of My Life." Other songs that point to a kinder, gentler Jamiroquai are the ballad "Black Crow," with its strings and soaring harmonies, and the spiritual, Latin-brushed "Corner of the Earth." Jamiroquai also get their funk groove on with smoking cuts such as the bottom-heavy jam "You Give Me Something" and "Main Event," a blaxploitation-inspired track accented by darting strings, disco diva vocals, and runaway wah-wah guitar. After a decade on the music scene, Jamiroquai still haven't missed a beat and they continue to provide hipsters with some of the most invigorating, and soulful, excursions to the dance floor. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

After the jarring reception of 1999's Synkronized, Jamiroquai constructed A Funk Odyssey, something more polished and slick inside the band's own brand of funky disco-rock. Jason Kay and keyboardist/songwriter Toby Smith perfected a maturation that was left keyed in Travelling Without Moving but left open-ended on Synkronized for a wide scope of musical delight. A Funk Odyssey taps into various illustrious grooves of the Latin world, classic rock, and mainstream club culture, and Jamiroquai is tight and eager to make everyone shake their groove thing in their own light. The first single, "Little L," beams with Kajagoogoo-like synths while warping into a funk-driven hue of orchestral whirlpools, but Jamiroquai allows the band's extroverted and unattached personality to shine on the worldbeat-tinged "Corner of the Earth." Kay strips aside all disco humor and grandeur for something personally inviting, something that's heartfelt too. A Funk Odyssey sparks classic enthusiasm, and it feels good. Dance music is not just a design, it's something far more tangible, and Jamiroquai surely captures a fierce desire to make it more emotional on the band's own level. MacKenzie Wilson