Final Rating: 7.2/10
Jamiroquai. Ja-miro-quai.
Interesting name, huh? As we move farther and farther from the ’90s, I thought it fit to review the bestselling funk album in music history and the album which would eventually thrust Jamiroquai into the mainstream US music scene.
For their third studio album, Jay-Kay (the band’s frontman) decided to rent out a grand residential studio, Great Linford Manor. Nestled within the English countryside, the 17th-century mansion provided ample escape from the chaos of central London.
If I didn’t know what I was listening to, I would think the album to be something pulled directly out of the 1970s New York disco scene. Purely a funk record, the album opens with the wildly popular Virtual Insanity, dragging the listener into the song with its funky and fast-paced beat.
After listening, it’s easy to see where the song’s astronomical popularity came from. Virtual Insanity is followed by the Stevie Wonder-esque “Cosmic Girl.”
Using it’s unique flare, the track somehow finds balance between the newer (at the time) types of funk and the already well-established. Glam studio production and groovy rhythms (“You Are My Love,” for example) are all core elements of a classic disco album.
Unfortunately, Travelling Without Moving has its shortfalls too. Uninteresting and downright boring songs such as “Use the Force” and the awful “Drifting Along” might incline the listener to mute their headphones and skip on to the next song.
Despite its noticeable shortcomings, this is still a solid album. Casting an overarching theme of just having fun, this album is surely to get you out of a bad mood. Don’t just take my word for it, though.
Give it a listen.
