Jay Kay is Finally Jumping

Now that Jamiroquai's Jay Kay has sold over 20 million albums, he is finally getting the recognition he deserves. This lesser-known bearded, skinny singer wearing the funny hat from Ealing, West London, has made it into the hearts of American pop culture at last.

American Idol contestant Blake Lewis, from Seattle, sang Jamiroquai's contemporary "Virtual Insanity" (about the perils of genetic engineering), complete with Blake's signature beat-boxing. Judge Randy Jackson gave Jamiroquai props and the "Yo" thumbs up. This song is contemporary, controversial, comical and catchy, everything the cool funk-soul singer is all about.

Then there's the cute trendy guy in the Cingular cell phone ads heading into the grocery store. While he listens to the hip-hop, rock of Jamiroquai's "Feels Just Like it Should," all the workers in the store dance around until the check-out lady gives him a big smile of "bling" covered teeth. How can you resist getting up and dancing too when you hear this song?

I for one am relieved that Jay Kay has decided to abandon bringing back disco, limiting some of the space-age boogie and returning to mainly computerized funk. His social commentaries do not seem so angry now, since encouraging listeners to end wars and save the planet are actually what audiences want to hear, particularly if it is wrapped in that soft soulful voice which sounds so sincere.

As a die-hard Stevie Wonder fan, let me just say for the record, he does not sound anything like Stevie or Motown. Yes, he has that great voice range and mixes arrangements with apparent abandon the otherwise funky music, but who else adds unique instrument sounds like the Australian didgeridoo? In this collection spanning 14 years or so, we experience the engineered strings conducted by Simon Hale, a few calculated horns and "a chorus about man's destruction of the planet" (says Dan Gennoe) all at the same time. Jay Kay is genuine, philosophical, personality-plus and very irreverent without seemingly giving offense. Also the backing vocals and vocal bass synthetics are all produced by Jay. He is absolutely unique and one of a kind which you notice from the minute each song starts.

Jamiroquai has earned 5 MTV awards, a Grammy, and half a dozen multi-platinum albums. Fame has bought him a mansion, Buckinghamshire Manor, and a Black Ferrari. Although he lost his bassist Stuart Zender and keyboard player Toby Smith along the way, his helpful crew list over the years is pretty extensive and he does give credit to them all in the CD jacket playlist.

I like this collection because it includes my two favorite songs mentioned above, plus the following:

When You Gonna Learn
Too Young to Die
Blow Your Mind
Emergency on Planet Earth
Space Cowboy
Cosmic Girl
Alright
High Times
Deeper Underground
Canned Heat
Little L
Love Foolosophy
Corner of the Earth
Seven Days in Sunny June
(Don't) Give Hate a Chance

and two new tracks:

Runaway
Radio

Produced by Epic, a division of Sony/BMG, the cost runs around $18 and this collection has all your favorites.