Additional personnel: Paul Stoney (programming).

After the jarring reception of 1999's Synkronized, Jamiroquai constructed A Funk Odyssey, something more polished and slick inside the band's own brand of funky disco-rock. Jason Kay and keyboardist/songwriter Toby Smith perfected a maturation that was left keyed in Travelling Without Moving but left open-ended on Synkronized for a wide scope of musical delight. A Funk Odyssey taps into various illustrious grooves of the Latin world, classic rock, and mainstream club culture, and Jamiroquai is tight and eager to make everyone shake their groove thing in their own light. The first single, "Little L," beams with Kajagoogoo-like synths while warping into a funk-driven hue of orchestral whirlpools, but Jamiroquai allows the band's extroverted and unattached personality to shine on the worldbeat-tinged "Corner of the Earth." Kay strips aside all disco humor and grandeur for something personally inviting, something that's heartfelt too. A Funk Odyssey sparks classic enthusiasm, and it feels good. Dance music is not just a design, it's something far more tangible, and Jamiroquai surely captures a fierce desire to make it more emotional on the band's own level. ~ MacKenzie Wilson

The indifferent welcome accorded 1999's SYNCHRONIZED may have thrown British funk outfit Jamiroquai off following the smashing success of 1997'S TRAVELLING WITHOUT MOVING, but the British funk outfit rebounded nicely with 2001's introspective and invigorating A FUNK ODYSSEY. Frontman Jay Kay continues to sound like Stevie Wonder's long-lost son as he mixes in the bossa nova-influenced "Picture Of My Life" with harder-driving fare like the theme-song-looking-for-a-blaxploitation-movie "Main Event."

Stretching out, Jamiroquai also includes other introspective excursions like the folk-tinged "Black Crow" as well as the beautifully spiritual "Corner Of The Earth." Longtime fans need not fear, as moving people's feet remains a big part of the equation, whether it's the Kraftwerk-style breaks of "2001," the infectious house vibe of the first single "Little L," or the bottom-heavy bang of "You Give Me Something." The combination of carefully penned lyrics and unrelenting grooves makes Jamiroquai one of the few contemporary groups cleaving to the P-Funk mantra that if you free your mind, your ass will follow.