The Choice Has Been Made

Jamiroquai are one of my all time favourite groups (Hip Hop or otherwise). Their sound is distinctive & instantly catchy, Jay Kay's Vocals have a wispy hypnotic quality and every album they've put out are classics in my book. Nick Van Gelder, is the behind a large chunk of those hits & after a hiatus of sorts, he's back with a new band & updated sound. Now, as much as he may have tried to stray from his previous work, the best thing about this album is the unmistakable aroma of Jamiroquai throughout. From the feint hint on the spacey bongo laiden Thinkin' Of You, to the strong stench (in a good way) of Time To Get Ready, you can't avoid the similarities. But that just makes for a damn good album. A continuous array of uptempo grooves that any Dance DJ worth his salt would do well to have in his collection. Ain't No Friend Of Mine, is the best example of a club friendly groove & is my fav track on the album. I do have my reservations though (hence this being a damn good album instead of a great album). Whether they are meant to sound as they do or whether they were badly EQ'd, the vocals sound like mere spacey background instruments on most of the tracks when they should be at the forefront of what are already great beats. Also, with most of the tracks weighing in at 6 or 7 minutes plus most of these tracks need editing. give the DJs there mixing time on the vinyl release & let us regular consumers have a more digestable length for the cd version. The overall sound of the album is superb though so it is well worth the purchase. I have left the title track below by way of a taster. Enjoy!

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Nick Van Gelder - Choose Music