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A Funk Odyssey

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A Funk Odyssey
A man with a head-dress wearing a fuzzy jacket and sweatpants is leaping, green lasers appear to shoot from behind his head. The artist name and album title are displayed below
Studio album by
Jamiroquai
Released3 September 2001
Recorded2000–2001
StudioChillington Studios (Buckinghamshire, England)
GenreNu-disco[1]
Length48:17
LabelSony Soho Square
Epic
ProducerRick Pope
Jamiroquai chronology
An Online Odyssey
(2001) 		A Funk Odyssey
(2001) 		Late Night Tales: Jamiroquai
(2003)
Jamiroquai studio album chronology
Synkronized
(1999) 		A Funk Odyssey
(2001) 		Dynamite
(2005)
Singles from A Funk Odyssey
  1. "Little L"
    Released: 8 August 2001[2]
  2. "You Give Me Something"
    Released: 12 November 2001[3]
  3. "Love Foolosophy"
    Released: 25 February 2002[4]
  4. "Corner of the Earth"
    Released: 8 July 2002[5]

A Funk Odyssey is the fifth studio album by English funk band Jamiroquai. The album was released on 3 September 2001 in the United Kingdom by Sony Soho Square and 11 September 2001 by Epic Records in the United States.

Background

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Combining elements of funk, disco and electronica, the release of the album represented the peak of international commercial success for Jamiroquai,[according to whom?][dubious – discuss] and in the ensuing world tour the group became a household name in many countries. The sleeve art of A Funk Odyssey features lead vocalist Jay Kay posed in front of a series of lasers in the shape of the Buffalo Man logo, making it the first Jamiroquai album not to prominently feature the logo on its cover.[6]

In a 2001 interview with Billboard magazine, Kay said he wrote the deliberately simple first single "Little L" in 25 minutes, "It would have been so easy to overthink and overwrite that song, because it's so incredibly simple. But that would've killed it."[7] He described the fourth single, "Corner of the Earth", as a "spiritual song" that "speaks for anyone who's in a place or a moment where they're happy."[7] For the tenth track, "Picture of My Life", Kay said, "I cried throughout the process of writing [the song]. It was an act of looking at some major personal issues and understanding their lingering effects."[7]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
Entertainment WeeklyB[11]
The Guardian[12]
The Indianapolis Star[13]
New Musical Express[14]
Q[15]
Slant Magazine[1]
Us Weekly[16]
Vibe[17]

Initial critical response to A Funk Odyssey was generally mixed to positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 58, based on 13 reviews.[8] Q magazine gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, claiming "A certified thoroughbred. This time, there's a bankable chorus or barbed sentiment for every mirror-ball moment....demonstrating that no-one does sci-fi boogie quite as well as he does sci-fi boogie." They also listed it as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[18] CMJ described the album as "The perfect mixtape to snap your fingers to on your way to another universe."[citation needed] A.D. Amorosi of The Indianapolis Star wrote that "'Corner of the Earth', with its swirling strings and sunlit happiness, may be Kay's finest moment, matching organic ambience with pure emotion."[13] Tom Moon said that the album recalls the band's interest in "the swooping strings and thumping beats" from Earth Wind & Fire and later disco music, but concludes that "Kay never merely appropriates those devices… he goes back to the future, by Juxtaposing old-school guitars against sizzling house beats."[16]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Feel So Good"Jay Kay, Toby Smith5:21
2."Little L"Kay, Smith4:55
3."You Give Me Something"Kay, Rob Harris, Nick Fyffe3:23
4."Corner of the Earth"Kay, Harris5:40
5."Love Foolosophy"Kay, Smith3:45
6."Stop Don't Panic"Kay, Harris, Fyffe4:34
7."Black Crow"Kay, Harris, Fyffe4:02
8."Main Vein"Kay5:05
9."Twenty Zero One"Kay5:15
10."Picture of My Life[a]"Kay, Harris, Smith6:20
Total length:48:15
  1. ^ The song "Picture of My Life" ends at 3:45. After 30 seconds of silence (3:45 - 4:15), begins the hidden song "So Good to Feel Real".
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Do It Like We Used to Do" 7:32
12."Deeper Underground"Kay, Smith4:44
Australian bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Do It Like We Used to Do"7:32
2."Everybody's Going to the Moon"5:22
3."Little L" (Music video) 
Australian tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Space Cowboy" (Classic Club Mix) 7:52
2."Supersonic" (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Vocal)Kay, Smith7:00
3."Deeper Underground"Kay, Smith4:43
4."Little L" (Bob Sinclair Remix)Kay, Smith7:28
5."You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix)Kay, Harris, Fyffe3:03
6."Main Vein" (live)Kay5:14
Asian tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Everybody's Going to the Moon" 5:22
2."Do It Like We Used to Do" 7:32
3."Deeper Underground"Kay, Smith4:44
4."Little L" (Bob Sinclair Remix)Kay, Smith7:28
5."You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix)Kay, Harris, Fyffe3:03
6."Main Vein" (live)Kay5:14
South African tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Main Vein" (live) 5:14
2."Do It Like We Used to Do" 7:32
4."You Give Me Something" (Full Intention Remix)Kay, Harris, Fyffe3:03
5."Little L" (Blaze Remix)Kay, Smith5:55
6."Love Foolosophy" (Mondo Grosso Love Acoustic Version)Kay, Smith4:44
7."Corner of the Earth" (Milk & Sugar Short Club Mix)Kay, Harris4:13
French tour edition bonus disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Everybody's Going to the Moon" 5:22
2."Do It Like We Used To Do" 7:32
3."Main Vein" (live)Kay5:14
4."Titan" (Live at Telewest Arena) 3:15
5."Feels So Good" (Knee Deep Vocal Dub)Kay, Harris, Fyffe7:34
6."Love Foolosophy" (Mondo Grosso Love Acoustic Version)Kay, Smith4:44
Original test pressing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Feel So Good" (uncut)Kay, Smith6:24
2."Little L" (extra percussion)Kay, Smith4:55
3."You Give Me Something" (uncut)Kay, Harris, Fyffe5:16
4."interlude #1" 0:35
5."Main Vein" (no vocal cut)Kay4:51
6."Corner of the Earth" (vocal variation)Kay, Harris5:40
7."Twenty Zero One" (uncut)Kay8:29
8."Black Crow" (vocal variation)Kay, Harris, Fyffe4:02
9."interlude #2" 1:22
10."Do It Like We Used To Do" (edited) 6:49
11."Stop Don't Panic" (uncut)Kay, Harris, Fyffe5:31
12."interlude #3" 0:20
13."Picture of My Life"Kay, Harris, Smith3:46
14."So Good to Feel Real"Kay, Harris, Smith2:14

Personnel

[edit]

Jamiroquai

[edit]

Additional personnel

[edit]
  • Beverley Knight – guest vocals on "Love Foolosophy" and "Main Vein"
  • Dee Lewis – backing vocals
  • Simon Hale – string arrangements
  • John Thirkell – trumpet, flugel and horn arrangements
  • Paul Stoney – programming[19]

Charts

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Certifications and sales

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[57] 4× Platinum 280,000^
Belgium (BEA)[58] Gold 25,000*
France (SNEP)[59] 2× Gold 200,000*
Italy (FIMI)[60] Platinum 100,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[62] Platinum 255,000[61]
Netherlands (NVPI)[63] Gold 40,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[64] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[65] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[67] 2× Platinum 871,000[66]
United States — 186,000[68]
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[69] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (31 August 2001). "Jamiroquai A Funk Odyssey". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  2. ^ "ジャミロクワイ – リトル・エル（ラジオ・エディット）" [Jamiroquai – Little L (Radio Edit)] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 28 August 2001. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  3. ^ Hubner, Miriam (1 December 2001). "Airborne". Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 49. p. 14.
  4. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 25 February 2002: Singles". Music Week. 23 February 2002. p. 35.
  5. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 8 July 2002: Singles". Music Week. 6 July 2002. p. 27.
  6. ^ "Albums turning 20 years old in 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Flick, Larry (25 August 2001). Epic's Jamiroquai Steps Into '2001'. Billboard. pp. 1, 82.
  8. ^ a b "Jamiroquai:A Funk Odyssey (2001): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
  9. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Jamiroquai: A Funk Odyssey > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 28 August 2011.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1987. ISBN 978-0857125958 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Weingarten, Marc (10 September 2001). "A Funk Odyssey (2001): Jamiroquai". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 21 April 2009.
  12. ^ Lynskey, Dorian (31 August 2001). "Friday review: Music: Pop CD releases: Jamiroquai: A Funk Odyssey". The Guardian – via ProQuest.
  13. ^ a b Amorosi, A.D. (30 September 2021). "A Funk Odyssey". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via ProQuest.
  14. ^ "Jamiroquai : A Funk Odyssey". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  15. ^ Q (9/01, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A certified thoroughbred. This time, there's a bankable chorus or barbed sentiment for every mirror-ball moment....demonstrating that no-one does sci-fi boogie quite as well as he does sci-fi boogie..."
  16. ^ a b Moon, Tom. "Best of the week--music: Jamiroquai". Us Weekly. Retrieved 6 August 2021 – via ProQuest.
  17. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (October 2001). "A Funk Oddysey". Vibe: 178 – via Google Books.[permanent dead link‍]
  18. ^ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.
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  24. ^ "Jamiroquai Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
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  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "finnishcharts.com Jamiroquai - A Funk Odyssey" (ASP). Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  28. ^ "Lescharts.com – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". Hung Medien.
  29. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  30. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Jamiroquai". Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "ジャミロクワイ-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック" [Highest position and charting weeks of A Funk Odyssey by Jamiroquai]. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  33. ^ "Charts.nz – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". Hung Medien.
  34. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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  38. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". Hung Medien.
  39. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  40. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
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  42. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2001". aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  43. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2001". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  44. ^ "Rapports annuels 2001". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  45. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2001 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on 6 November 2003. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  46. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2001" (ASP) (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  47. ^ "Classement Albums - année 2001". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (in French). Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
  48. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". offiziellecharts.de (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  49. ^ "Hit Parade Italia - Gli album più venduti del 2001" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  50. ^ "2001年 アルバム年間TOP100" (in Japanese). Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  51. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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  53. ^ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2001" (PDF). IFPI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  54. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Albums 2002". aria.com.au. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
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  56. ^ "2009 ARIA End of Decade Albums Chart". ARIA. January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
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  58. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2001". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  59. ^ "French album certifications – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  60. ^ "Musica: Disco di platino per Jamiroquai". Adnkronos (in Italian). 10 September 2001. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  61. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  62. ^ "Japanese album certifications – ジャミロクワイ – ファンク・オデッセイ" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 15 September 2013. Select 2001年8月 on the drop-down menu
  63. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter A Funk Odyssey in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2001 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  64. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Jamoriquai – A Funk Odyssey". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
  65. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('A Funk Odyssey')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  66. ^ "Albums turning 20 years old in 2021". Official Charts Company. 29 December 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  67. ^ "British album certifications – Jamiroquai – A Funk Odyssey". British Phonographic Industry.
  68. ^ Newman, Melinda (5 September 2005). "Jamiroquai Back with a Bang". Billboard. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  69. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2001". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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