Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 06/11/06
Label: SonyBMG

Jay Kay. The Marmite of modern music. You either love his big hat, eco-funk-disco ways or you just, well, hate him. Ambivalence it seems has no place in the world when it comes to Jamiroquai. Back when he/they first emerged as the only real talent of early '90s acid jazz movement, he was written off as a wannabe Stevie Wonder in a silly coat. Meanwhile, the end-is-nigh warnings of debut single, "When You Gonna Learn", had him simultaneous labelled a merchant of doom and laughed at.

Fifteen years and 20 million album sales later he's a household name and the world is indeed coming to an end. So maybe, with the release of this their greatest hits, it's time to reassess Jamiroquai with a view to giving credit where it's due. Whatever your opinion of Kay - one of a kind, shamefully underrated, musical marvel or prat in the hat - there's no denying he knows how to write a catchy tune. Indeed, he's penned so many they couldn't fit them all on. For this alone Kay deserves the respect of even his harshest critics.

At a time when anyone with three hits qualifies for a best of, "High Times: Singles 1992-2006", is a genuinely worthwhile collection; a greatest hits full of actual hits. What's more, they're not just hits by virtue of chart position. From the lilting "Too Young To Die," to the driving disco of "Cosmic Girl", they're markers in time. Just as "Space Cowboy"'s jazzy groove reeks of weed and the early '90s, taut shimmy "Little L" has a stylish whiff of the turn of the millennium super-club about it. Even current single "Runaway", another unshakable disco number, is so now it confirms he's still capable of competing with the Robbies and Justins of this world.

Yet as a guide to Jamiroquai's musical worth, it's critically flawed. The inventive funk adventures which most excite fans - and irritate detractors - and formed the basis for the likes of "Return Of The Space Cowboy" - an album represented by just one of its three singles - has no place here. But then Kay's most creative, alluring and credible moments have never been pitched for daytime radio.

To be fair, "High Times: Singles 1992-2006" is exactly what it says. All your favourite Jamiroquai hits in one handy collection, just in time for Christmas. For those who missed "Virtual Insanity" and "Canned Heat" first time round, and don't fancy hours of grinding rare groove and fragile Latin lullabies, it's the perfect gift. As a career retrospective though, it doesn't do him or them justice.

    by Mark Daniels