The Return of the Space Cowboy

Jamiroquai

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002B0J
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,115 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Jazz > Acid Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

At the time of this album, Jamiroquai's second, Britain's soul-funk-acid jazz scene had been firmly established by numerous club DJs and bands like Soul II Soul, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, and Young Disciples. Jamiroquai formed their own voice with strong songwriting, tight ensemble playing, and--most of all--Jay Kay's fluid vocals, which are impressively reminiscent of Stevie Wonder's. As the band's main songwriter, Kay addresses social ills ("Just Another Story," "Manifest Destiny"), advocates enlightenment ("Stillness in Time," "Light Years"), and leads his multiculti band through love songs both bubble-gum funky ("Mr. Moon") and jazzy sweet ("Half the Man"). Unabashedly mixing disco into their funky soul, Jamiroquai even make cheesy synths sound good. --Suzanne McElfresh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jamiroquai's Best Album, February 9, 2003

By	Donovan Juan (Perth, WA Australia) - See all my reviews

While there new work may seem to have more in common with albums like Michael Jackson's Off The Wall, there was a time when Jamiroquai was more closely related to Stevie Wonder and Sly and The Family Stone with their ever-retro funk.

This was Jamiroquai as they were originally concieved as; a band. Today, it would be a fairly reasonable mistake to believe that Jay Kay was Jamiroquai.

This album includes long, funky jams where Jay Kay's Stevie Wonder-ish vocals (though I must admit it is not THAT close to get confused) and socially conscious lyrics bring us back to the glory days of R & B music (circa 1972). The album is a whole lot more raw than, say "Synkronized" and it really shows how crucial Stuart Zender's basslines were to the group's sound. This album features a lot more interplay between the band members than any other album (except perhaps "Emergency On Planet Earth").

What is striking is that the album is so retro that even the sound quality is muddled and flat! This was obviously the vision they had for the group. This album is like early Earth, Wind and Fire and "Funk Odyssey" is like their Disco influenced later 70s work. basically, this is Jamiroquai when funk was still young and raw; before disco smoothed everything out. This album's harder sound is probably less appealing to a mass audience than the highly produced style they have now, but for fans of acid jazz or funk, this is the album for you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BASS!, November 21, 2005

By	basspeeps "basspeeps" (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

There are so many reviews here that I don't feel one can add much more to the opinion of musicality on this project. However, I will say this - every bassist needs this album. It should be one of 10 absolutely necessary albums that every electric bass player should own. Bassist Stuart Zender joined this band as a young teenager, but it's no surprise that he was immediately praised by already famous bassists in the industry through every magazine! The groove, feel, and maturity on this album is really amazing (especially for such a young player) so explore it. Learn from it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jamiroquais most instrumental album, and a complete killer., June 10, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Oslo,Norway) - See all my reviews

"Return of the Space Cowboy" is an album with integrity and power as Jamiroquai, fronted by Jay Kay, delivers their most instrumental and musically interesting album. This album is quite different from his more recent disco-albums, as it is kind of darker and a bit less mainstream. It may sound a bit boring the first time you hear it, but after a while it sinks into your mind, and you find that it's a killer. This album is more focused on the band behind Jay Kay, with Stuart Zender and Derrick McKenzie as a toally awesome rhythm-section. As a bonus, this album contains Jamiroquais best song until now; Mr.Moon. Buy it now, or I'll feel sorry for you.