Customer Reviews

Dynamite

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A Jamiroquai fan since the get-go, this album is seriously solid from top to bottom. Every album thus far has had at least 1-2 throwaway-skipover tracks, except A Funk Odyssey which contained many throwaways. Dynamite seems to suffer from this condition less and maybe not at all.

Through the first week of listens, the title track Dynamite has been played over and over in my brain along with Seven Days In Sunny June, Starchild, and Talullah. Those were my favorite four tracks to start.

With more listens this week, Black Devil Car has emerged and risen as well as Hot Tequila Brown, Feels Like It Should and Electric Mistress. The others not mentioned are all still solid really.

And I will whole-heartedly disagree with Mistermaxx on his 1 star review here and calling out the fact Jamiroquai has been getting by without "writing a song." You could maybe say that on Funk Odyssey, but this one is a whole different flavor. The lyrics are much better and the grooves are back to what older fans have come to expect. There is some dynamite material in here. Well worth the time and money spent.

This review will be part CD review and part concert review as i've just seen them last night in Budapest at their first gig of the summer.
The CD resembles a lot to 'A Funk Odyssey' which wouldn't necessarily be bad news, but the tracks are - in my opinion - less catchy and the jazzy moments have completely disappeared. I miss the horns of the first 3 albums and while the songs themselves are quality, i just couldn't find those little sounds, tone settings, groovy bass lines or smooth synth chords that made the other albums stand out. My favourite track is 'Seven days in Sunny June' which has some excellent moments, but overall, there aren't really any standout songs.
As for the concert yesterday, it was a smash with good sound settings and great atmosphere. Surprisingly, they played a lot from the earlier albums (without horns). Those of You who are lucky to have Jamiroquai pay a visit should expect the following (based on last night's set):Canned Heat, Space Cowboy, Cosmic Girl, Revolution, Little L., Mr. Moon, Blow My Mind (instr.), Too Young to Die, Emergency on Planet Earth, Feels Like It Should, Dynamite, Black Devil Car, Seven Days in Sunny June, Deeper Underground.
The songs from the new album sound better live than on the disc, which makes it even more worthwile to buy them tickets.

Ok, let's face it: Jamiroquai's strength have never been his lyrics, and this album is no exception. They are flat, ridiculous and pure non - sense. But were we really expecting a literary diamond? NO !! We just want more of the DELICIOUS FUNKINESS, SUPERB voices and chorals, FANTASTIC basses and WILD arrangements. And that is EXACTLY what you get ! ...and if you have a CD or DVD player that will play it, buy the Dual Disc version to get better sound quality (you won't regret spending the extra dollars).

1.- Feels Just Like it Should is the first single of this album. A strange pick, for I think it's the weakest track. It's choppy, boring, so non-Jamoriquai.

2.- Dynamite is one of the strongest tracks in the album. Full of incredible effects, superb chorals, and an incredible arrangement. So near to your typical Jamiroquai song.

3.- Seven Days in Sunny June is THE BEST track in the disc. A ballad of some sort, this incredible song reminds us of the style introduced in the album A Funk Odyssey in the track Corner of the Earth. So full of great guitar playing and yet funky and fun.

4.-Electric Mistress is strange indeed, with some weird bass lines...yet it works ! It's simple but addictive.

5.- Starchild is a delicious slow groove. Exactly the funkiness you expect in a disc like this. It will not dissapoint you.

6.- Love Blind reminds me of most pop music out there mixed with the characteristic bass lines of Jamiroquai, yet after so many times hearing it, you get used to it and like it. Its a very strange mixture.

7.- Tallulah is just jazzy lounge music. Ear pleasing, no more.

8.- (Don't) Give Hate a Chance competes with Seven Days in Sunny June as the best track. It's funky, dance, groovy, smooth. It's SO ADDICTIVE. I must have heard it so many times and can't have enough of it ! The music video is awesome too.

9.- World that He Wants is also a weak track, ballad-like. I think it is missplaced in a disc like this. Yet, there is something for everyone. If you like soft music this is for you.

10.- Black Devil Car is a heavy piece, reminds me of other groups (Blink 182, strangely comes to mind). Not one of my favorites.

11.- Hot Tequila Brown sounds a lot like Electric Mistress, it's simply addictive in the long term.

12.- Time Won't Wait is a great way to finish the album off. It's just what you expect of this album. It invites you to dance and to wait for the next album !

Enjoy !

This album is as good as Travelling Without Moving. Perhaps better. The funky grooves are definitely back. There are some strong tracks ...Starchild, World That He Wants, Seven Days, Give Hate A Chance...virtually every one is great. Usually I find one stinker I really can't stand but everything on Dynamite oozes class and good songwriting. The import and UK release has the additional track Time Won't Wait which is worth the extra cash alone. Why they decided to leave it off the US and European release baffles me as its a fantastic piece. I have all the Jamiroquai albums and this has turned into one of my favourite after spinning it for just 2 weeks. Jay Kay may be the bad lad the music industry loves to hate but they can't deny the boy has talent. The album could do with a good jazzy instrumental (a la Roy Ayers) but that's just nitpicking. Excellent.

Being a HUGE Jamiroquai fan for years now, and having almost encyclopedic knowledge of all their 5 previous albums, I must say that Dynamite ranks way, way up there if not better than the rest. Some reviews have said that this album follows right along with the style of A Funk Odyssey, but honestly, Dynamite is in a league all its own in some ways. True, there are a few songs on the album like the title track Dynamite, (Don't) Give Hate a Chance, and Electric Mistress that have that kind of "dance club" vibe to them, but when you explore the whole album, it soon becomes evident that the style of music is as diverse as any previous album ever was. there is the aforementioned "club" style, along with some more gritty type songs like Feels Just Like It Should and Black Devil Car, and even melodic in Talullah. Seven Days in Sunny June and Hot Tequila Brown are feel good summertime songs that are tough to get out of your head, and Starchild & Time Won't Wait make it hard not to scramble to learn the lyrics so you can sing along at the top of your lungs. There is even a political opinion expressed as World That He Wants is obviously about how our President is not exactly Jay's favorite person (as is also made abuntantly clear in the CD booklet where he concludes his thank yous with a special message for ol' W) But I digress......



If you are a longtime hardcore jamiroquai fan, you should love this album, and I highly, highly recommend it, and if you are a fan of well written, jazz/funk/dance you should definitely enjoy this album as well.

ENJOY!!!!!

Whether you'll be let down as well depends on which Jamiroquai you are expecting. If you're looking for the sweet soul of "Emergency on Planet Earth", "Space Cowboy" or "Travelling Without Moving", this ain't it. But if your favorite Jamiroquai stuff is the more uptempo dance-flavored jams of "Funk Odyssey" etc, then you'll like this. Most of the songs are disco/synth dance tracks designed to rock a dance floor, but with not much soul sensibility at all. There are only two songs that would sound at home on any of Jamiroroquai's earlier albums, "7 Days" and "Talullah". Even though "Talullah" resorts to cliched "my girl is leaving on a jet plane and I've got to get her back" lryics, I've probably listened to it 20 times today because the music is DOPE. Jay just has a way of writing songs that you can't get enough of no matter how many times you hit rewind. If you are just getting hip to Jamiroquai, don't start your collection with this album. But if you are a long-time fan, there is enough here to make it a worthwhile purchase (Americans should wait for the U.S. release and pay the lower price - there is nothing here you can't wait a few weeks for). Even though the album is not nearly what I'd hoped for or expected, it will still dominate my CD changer for a while. Dude is ridiculously talented and still hasn't gotten his due.

`Dynamite' by UK group Jamiroquai lives up to its title. Right from the fuzzy bassline of the retro funk opening track `Feels just like it should', the funk/disco `Dynamite' with a Chic-like bassline, the retro disco sound of `(Don't) give hate a chance' with its why can't we live together sentiment, it is largely geared to get you exploding on the dancefloor.

Other standouts include `Time won't wait' a disco tune urging one to make something of one's dreams as time won't wait for you (available on the UK version), the midtempo folk/funk of `Seven days in sunny June', and the funk/disco of `Starchild'.

Not everything is upbeat though, there's the lilting horn drenched jazzy `Talullah' and the melodramatic piano ballad `World that he wants'.

There's the rock/pop `Black devil car' with a gentle poppy intro leading to raging electric guitars in the chorus. Great!

With their blend of funk/disco/jazz/soul, Jamiroquai's music has always evoked a faint image of 70s Stevie Wonder, and this album is no different. Brilliant!

This is Jamiroquai's best CD - hands down. No one can bring the funk and soul that Jamiroquai delivers on every albulm and "Dynamite" is no exception.

Jamiroquai's sound is so unique; blending the best elements of dance, soul, and funk to create something that no other artist can even come close to. Jay's smooth vocals are so cool and addictive, ive been listening to this CD on repeat for over a week now and it hasnt gotten stale at all.

The thing that really annoys me is the lack of recognition this band gets. I dont understand how acts like jack johnson and DMB who have such a bland sound are so much more popular. Jamiroquai has such amazing arrangemtns that incorparte strings, horns, and funky synths. People compare him a lot to the music from the 80's and 70's. It def has similarities to the music of those eras but what makes this music really blow my mind is how Jamiroquai also uses cool computer effects and high tech synth soudns to spice up the tracks.

We are living in a time where popular music really lacks soul (im not saying i dont like pop music, but it cant move me the way Jamiroquai does). Today a hit song comes and goes but the music of Jamiroquai stands up listen after listen and never gets old. You can play this CD from start to finish without skipping one track, which is something very, very rare these days. If you like funk/soul/dance then pick this albulm up today!

This offering by Jamiroquai is amazing. From my first listen I was hooked. Its unfortunate that there are people who will always believe that nobody will ever put out anything as good as their first however many albums. You gotta grow with the artist! If the artist put out stuff that was just like their last release, they'd be stagnant performers, not artists.

Anyway, listen to the samples and then buy the CD. I just wish people in the US appreciated what Jay and his crew have to offer. This will get you dancin' and feelin' good. Check it out!

The thing with Jamiroquai's albums is, when you've heard one of them, you've (almost) heard them all. This album, while groovy and contagious, truly doesn't bring along much innovation to the table. Think of the classic 70s and early 80s disco-meets-Motown sound and you will have a perfect idea of how "Dynamite" sounds. Not bad, not boring: simply more of the same Jamiroquai. This guy, in spite of the "trend" in pop that has moved ahead to reviving the 80s, has stuck to his sound. I will give it four stars: I like it, but I don't love it to the point of giving it five stars.