Synkronized

Synkronized
Studio album by Jamiroquai
Released	8 June 1999 (1999-06-08) (U.S.) 14 June 1999 (1999-06-14) (UK)
Recorded	1998–1999
Genre	Acid jazz, disco, funk
Length	48:21 (original release) 53:06 (with bonus track)
Label	Sony Soho Square (UK) Work (U.S.)
Producer	Al Stone / Jason Kay
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Rolling Stone link
Jamiroquai chronology
Travelling Without Moving (1996) Synkronized ---- 1999 Remixes (1999) A Funk Odyssey (2001)
Singles from Synkronized
"Canned Heat" Released: 24 May 1999 "Supersonic" Released: 13 September 1999 "King for a Day" Released: 29 November 1999

Synkronized is the fourth studio album by Jamiroquai. Released in 1999, the album contains funk, disco, and acid jazz elements. It is also known for being the last Jamiroquai album featuring its more traditional lineup and sound.

Album information

The song "Canned Heat", which was released as the lead single from the album, is the opening track. "Where Do We Go from Here?" rocks with a leap-frogging blues piano and tangy bongoes. The album's grand finale, "King for a Day", is a regal rock-operatic excursion embellished with fully orchestrated piano and strings. The lyrics in "King for a Day" are written about Stuart Zender, Jamiroquai's bass player for their first three albums, who left the band during the making of Synkronized. It is noticeable that there is no bass guitar or bass synth sound in "King for a Day".

Recording sessions for the album began with Zender installed on bass, but he left partway through the recording in mid-1998, and rather than credit Zender for the tracks he had played on (and possibly co-written), Jay Kay decided to scrap all the tracks and start again. Clips of two of these tracks were shown on MTV and have been bootlegged, although not in their full form. The clips display a much more Latin/fusion sound than the songs that made it on the final album cut. Another outtake from Synkronized is known, called "Snooze You Lose". The song was later released on a promo CD single called "An Online Odyssey".

The bass on the album is either played on a synth bass, or by new recruit Nick Fyffe, in a style that is basically an imitation of the departed Zender. Didgeridoo player Wallis Buchanan made his last appearance in Jamiroquai, in the song "Supersonic".

Reception

• Rolling Stone (8–22 July 1999, pp.144–145) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "Synkronized is fifty minutes of sleek, sexy fun, a party album delivered with something like conviction. It's not exactly irresistible, but, really, what's the point of resisting it?"

• Spin (August 1999, 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..."

• Entertainment Weekly (11 June 1999, 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-

• College Music Journal (7 June 1999, 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."

• Mojo (July 1999, 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."

• Q magazine (January 2000, p.85) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 1999".

Track listing

1. "Canned Heat" – 5:31
2. "Planet Home" – 4:44
3. "Black Capricorn Day" – 5:41
4. "Soul Education" – 4:15
5. "Falling" – 3:45
6. "Destitute Illusions" – 5:40
7. "Supersonic" – 5:15
8. "Butterfly" – 4:28
9. "Where Do We Go from Here?" – 5:13
10. "King for a Day" – 3:40
11. "Deeper Underground" (bonus track) – 4:46 or "Getinfunky" (Japanese bonus track) - 5:35

Some Australian versions came with a bonus disc:

1. "Deeper Underground"
2. "Getinfunky"
3. "Wolf In Sheep's Clothing"

Charts

v • d • e Jay Kay · Rob Harris · Paul Turner · Matt Johnson · Derrick McKenzie · Sola Akingbola · Lorraine McIntosh · Hazel Fernandez · Sam Smith Gavin Dodds · Simon Katz · Nick Fyffe · Stuart Zender · Simon Carter · Toby Smith · Nick Van Gelder · DJ D-Zire · Winston Rollins · Adrian Revell · Howard Anderson · Wallis Buchanan · Beverley Knight  · Johnny Thirkell · Gary Barnacle · Mike Smith Studio albums Emergency on Planet Earth (1993) · The Return of the Space Cowboy (1994) · Travelling Without Moving (1996) · Synkronized (1999) · A Funk Odyssey (2001) · Dynamite (2005) Compilations Jay's Selection (1996) · In Store Jam (promo, 1997) · JAZZiroquai (live, 1998) · Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai (2003) · High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006) Films Live in Verona (2002) · High Times: Singles 1992-2006 (2006) · Live at Montreux 2003 (2007) Other Discography · Buffalo Man · Chillington studio · Gig in the Sky