50 Years of Soul Power

Posted February 20, 2013 by J Matthew Cobb in Features

Jamiroquai
Emergency on Planet Earth
(Columbia; 1993)

Possessed by the spirit of Stevie Wonder, Jay Kay and his minion of acid-jazz musicians kicks out a thunderously funky set, peppered with uptempo disco (“Emergency on Planet Earth,” “When You Gonna Learn”), EW&F fixations (“Hooked Up”) and string-heavy dancey jazz (“Too Young to Die”). From start to finish, Jamairoquai brilliantly assembles an album that’s full of groove and adventure, reaching its zenith with the eight-minute celebration of “Blow Your Mind.” The Brit soul eventually traveled across the Atlantic, touching the next generation of white-bred singers of Justin Timberlake, Adam Levine and Robin Thicke to go down the soul route.