Album: Jamiroquai, Rock Dust Light Star (Mercury)

2.00

Reviewed by Andy Gill

Friday 29 October 2010

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In the five years since Dynamite, electro and dubstep have made significant inroads into the dance-pop mainstream, which leaves an old-school full-band funk exercise like Rock Dust Light Star sounding more than a little dated.

The slippery disco-funk of tracks such as "White Knuckle Ride" and "She's A Fast Persuader" recalls The Bee Gees, while the gospelly backing vocals and swampy guitar licks of "Hurtin'" flash straight back to 1972. Alongside the usual slick soul, the title-track itself is a confused and largely shapeless venture into prog-funk. The anti-drug song "Hey Floyd" makes a better fist of shifting mid-song from funk-pop to reggae, and "All Good In The Hood" features a virtuoso bass part that channels James Jamerson, Bernard Edwards and Larry Graham all at once, but it's a patchy affair overall.

DOWNLOAD THIS All Good In The Hood; Hey Floyd; Hurtin'

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