Once upon a time Jamiroquai were innovative, interesting and original... however all fairy tales must come to an end. Nowadays Jamiroquai are no better than your average pop group, except this time they are not run by a greedy manager, they are instead run by an over-greedy, money grabbing ... Read review
With songs that fall exactly in between early Michael Jackson and Taste of Honey, ... more
Jamiroquai'sSynkronizedis a funk-disco inferno that is distinguished from its 1970s counterparts only by its 1990s production. It contains all the same ingredients: wah-w...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
With songs that fall exactly in between early Michael Jackson and Taste of Honey, ... more
Jamiroquai's Synkronized is a funk-disco inferno that is distinguished from its 1970s counterparts only by its 1990s production. It contains all the same ingredients: wah...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Advantages: it contains a pop classic - 'canned head' Disadvantages: Completely unoriginal and sounds hypocritical in places
Once upon a time Jamiroquai were innovative, interesting and original... however all fairy tales must come to an end. Nowadays Jamiroquai are no better than your average pop group, except this time they are not run by a greedy manager, they are instead run by an over-greedy, money grabbing lyricist by the name of Jason Kay.
The sold out style worked on the previous release of Travelling Without Moving, hell it even worked on the albums ... ...rather than the rule. The album truly is a tragedy, and could very well signal the end of the band.
However, the album may not be all bad.. sure the lyrics are laughable, gone is the day of shouting for political freedom, screaming for help to the environment.. but some of the beats still have that funky vibe.. and Canned Heat will no doubt remain one of the best pop tunes of recent years. But its not Jamiroquai, thats the problem, ... more
Once upon a time Jamiroquai were innovative, interesting and original... however all fairy tales must come to an end. Nowadays Jamiroquai are no better than your average pop group, except this time they are not run by a greedy manager, they are instead run by an over-greedy, money grabbing lyricist by the name of Jason Kay.
The sold out style worked on the previous release of Travelling Without Moving, hell it even worked on the albums first single 'Canned Heat' but unfortunately this is the exception rather than the rule. The album truly is a tragedy, and could very well signal the end of the band.
However, the album may not be all bad.. sure the lyrics are laughable, gone is the day of shouting for political freedom, screaming for help to the environment.. but some of the beats still have that funky vibe.. and Canned Heat will no doubt remain one of the best pop tunes of recent years. But its not Jamiroquai, thats the problem, this is an album for fans of pop music, not an album for Jamiroquai fans.. something which is disheartening for people who have followed them for years.
I sit listening to the album for the first time in a year and suprisingly it does sound marginally better.. I actually think I like the track 'Where Do We Go From Here'.. the lyrics are childish, have no soul, but its still a funky lil ditty, maybe not in the class of 'Alright' but it still has something, and the instruments are much more prominent than a lot of other tracks on the album, and yes there is a vague hint of a bassline. The same applies with the track 'Soul Education' which although is lacking in musical credit or originally is full of fun. This track was originally pencilled in to be released as a single but somehow things fell through and as far as I know it only made the shelves in France.
The 2 other tracks which I can stand are 'Falling' and 'Butterfly'... 'Falling' is a light flavoured love song, hardly in the mould of earlier material, but its pleasant enough, if hardly inspirational. 'Butterfly' is probably the only original track on the album and although it takes a few listens to get into, it does give the album a sense of hope, maybe there is life in this band yet..
Unfortunately, this is as good as the album gets, 4 average tracks and 1 classic pop single.. the rest is middle of the road pop trying to be cool, but somehow it just doesnt work.
There is one track on the album which is of abnormally bad quality, this track being 'Black Capricorn Day'... The track consists of a repetitive beat, which you know you have heard elswhere.. and then you have the chorus with even more repetition, this time on the word 'Hey' which quite frankly sounds.. well.. silly.
I just hope this album was a mistake, afterall it had to be re-written and re-recorded in a very short space of time after the departure of Stuart Zender. They played with an inexperienced bassist and this shows, with there being little in the way of prominant bass lines, something which was a feature of the band in its early days. I am biased though, there is no doubt about that, and therefore this album gets a big thumbs down from me, simply on the basis I know they are capable of so much more. If you are a pop/dance album, no doubt this album will be worth the expense, but I can hardly see the appeal it will have for fans of other genres or just music fans in general.
Advantages: New and Improve feal to Jamiroquai's funkin toons Disadvantages: Don't be silly!
FIRSTLY: buy this album!!! it is very unique and has the greatest toons like Canned Heat and Supersonic! be warned though, that it isn't very typically Jamiroquai, compared to the last 3 (GREAT) albums. Jamiroquai frontman JK, has evolved from his cool funking toons, and crafted them into a more modern, but still Funkin' groove! You must also remember that the album was rished slightly, as Stuart Zender (former jamiroquai bassist - now married to ... ...Jamiroquai had to start from scratch! King For A Day is all about Stuart Zender, with very passionate and meaningful lyrics. JK does not try to follow any style or type; how many other bands can you compare to Jamiroquai? none!!!
on the whole, this album is well-worth buying. The cool little buffalo logo says it all really! ...
Rama2000 14.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Synkronized - Jamiroquai
Advantages: Contains the singles 'Deeper Underground,' 'King For A Day' and 'Supersonic.' Disadvantages: Not as different as Jamiroquai used to be. Quite standard.
This album from Jamiroquai is not their best ever in my opinion. I was not incredibly impressed by 'Canned Heat,' but it has grown on me. I was recommended the album, and several people had told me that it was quite good. I was glad to see that the tracks, 'Deeper Underground,' 'King For A Day' and 'Supersonic' were included as these are favourites of mine. This album is quite a standard album, and blends in somewhat with the other music around. ... ...2000, but I don't think it won! It is a great album to relax to, as there is not a lot of fast moving music, and it is quite slow in places and quiet. It is though slightly better than other similar music around, and I do like most of the tracks on this album, overall, if your a dedicated Jamiroquai fan, you'll probably love it, but to me it's quite standard, although I would recommend it to others if they like that style of music. ...
PeterFarrell 22.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Synkronized - Jamiroquai
Synkronised is the bands fourth album. It contains hits such as King for a day and Canned Heat, which is partly why I bought the album. The album also contains other good song such as 'where do we go from here' , a classic example of Jamiroquai's music. There is a wide range of styles which follow Jay Kay's funky style of music. It is though, liked by some and not by others, this music is not for everybody. If you are a fan of his music then this ...
bigphil 25.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Synkronized - Jamiroquai
AH THIS IS THE KIND OF MUSIC I LIKE ORGINAL MUSIC! HERE IS A MIX OF DIFFERENT SOUNDS PUT TOGETHER ON A FANTASTIC ALBUM IT REALLY IS A FANTSTIC ALBUIM WHICH I BELIEVE WILL APPEAL TO ALMOST ANYBODY. THE ALBUM IS PACKED OF ORIGINAL LONG TRACKS ALL OF WHICH ARE OF A VERY HIGH STANDARD. I CAN NOT COMPARE THESE BAND NOR THIS ALBUM TO ANY BODY ELSES BECAUSE I HONESTLY DO ONT KNOW OF ANY ONE ELSE WHO CAN PERFORM SUCH GREAT MUSIC AMD SUCH A FANTASTIC ALBUM. ...
NIKE 07.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Synkronized - Jamiroquai
Advantages: Makes a good frisbee, you can give it to a relative who you hate for christmas Disadvantages: Listen to it and find out yourself - its crap
What should I say about this, um, don't buy it. I bought this album because of Jamiroquai's previous singles and was really disappointed buy 'Synkronized'. It has to be the worst album in my collection. The only good thing about it is the bonus track 'Deeper Underground'. I would of rather picked a random album off the self than pay for this worthless steaming pile. Save your money or if you want to buy a jamiroquai album buy 'travelling without ...
zachlawlor 14.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Synkronized - Jamiroquai
Originality
Lyrics
Quality and consistency...
Value for Money
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the politicians reassure? 'Cos here I was presuming that nobody wants a war."
This is one of the singles that a lot of people are likely to know, and I love it. Starting up with some lovely strings, before breaking in with some brass. This track has a superb bassline, and really it's this coupled with the vocals that complete the track, although the strings add that certain something. I'm sitting here listening to it now, and kind of dancing in my seating - 'Too Young To Die' just has one of those rhythms that are too catchy to resist! Superb instrumental section in the middle :)
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Product Information for "Synkronized - Jamiroquai" »
Product details
Title
Synkronized
Performer
Jamiroquai
Genre
R&B
Sub Genre
Soul
Release Date
10/09/2001
Recomended Retail Price
8.99 GBP
Original Release Year
1999
Label / Distributor
Sony Soho2 / Sony Music/Arvato Services
Engineer
Al Stone
Producer
Jay Kay; Al Stone
Pieces in Set
1
Studio / Live
Studio
Stereo
Stereo
Format
Performer
EAN
5099749451728
Catalogue Number
4945172
Additional notes
Album Notes
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.
Album Reviews
Q (1/00, p.85) - Included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1999." Rolling Stone (7/8-22, p.144-145) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...SYNKRONIZED is fifty minutes of sleek, sexy fun, a party album delviered with something like conviction. It's not exactly irresistible, but, really, what's the point of resisting it?" Spin (8/99, p.154) - 6 (out of 10) - "...redirects the band's British tendency toward smoothed-out old black jams....soaring strings, gyrating congas, hell-bent wah-wah's, and an undeniably live rhythm section that'll hustle your muscles and make you freak to the beat..." Q (7/99, pp.102-3) - 4 stars (out of 5) - "...[consolidates] the group's irrepressibly catchy old-skool funk with something darker and stranger....the most obtuse and best things the band have put down..." Mojo (7/99, p.100) - "...SYNKRONIZED proves Jamiroquai...are capable of knocking up fluid and thrilling grooves at the drop of an enormous hat....Jay's voice is wonderful throughout, delivering his admittedly toe-curling lyrics with...conviction." Entertainment Weekly (6/11/99, pp.63-4) - "...Imagine if [Stevie Wonder] had made a disco album in 1977....SYNKRONIZED is a hat trick done with the sharpest chapeau in the store..." - Rating: B- CMJ (6/7/99, p.5) - "...This incessantly upbeat expedition travels into the regions of Travolta-era disco...feverish funk...and instrumental iridescence...keeping your ears tuned to their funktastic audio adventures..."
Titles on disc 1
1.
Canned Heat
2.
Planet Home
3.
Black Capricorn Day
4.
Soul Education
5.
Falling
6.
Destitute Illusions
7.
Supersonic
8.
Butterfly
9.
Where Do We Go From Here
10.
King For A Day
11.
Deeper Underground
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14/06/2000
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