Synkronized

"Synkronized"
Album by Jamiroquai
Released	8 June 1999
Recorded	1998-1999
Tour	Synkronized Tour
Studio	Chillington Studios
Genre	Funk, soul, R&B, disco, & acid jazz
Length	53:06
Label	Sony Soho Square
Writer	Jay Kay, Toby Smith, Wallis Buchanan, & Derrick McKenzie
Producer	Al Stone

Synkronized is the fourth studio album by Jamiroquai, released on 8 June 1999 under Work Group in the United States, and 14 June 1999 under Sony Soho Records in the United Kingdom. Synkronized serves as a shift in sound for the band, prioritizing more electric instrumentation and disco than other elements. This release is also the first album with without bassist Stuart Zender, having left midway through development. He would be replaced by bassist Nick Fyffe. It would also be the final album with didgeridoo player Wallis Buchanan, leaving shortly after.

The album released with 4 accompanying singles. "Canned Heat" would be the first and lead single of the album on May 24th, 1999 ,debuting at number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart, being the second song of their discography to do so. It would aswell rank number 4 on the UK charts. "Supersonic" was released as the second single releasing 13 September 1999 which as well placed number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart, being the third single to do so. It would rank number 22 in UK charts. "Black Capricorn Day" would be the third single, however only exclusively releasing as a Japan single on 3 November 1999. The final single, "King for a Day" would release 29 November 1999 and peak at number 20 in the UK charts.

Background

Following their global hit "Travelling Without Moving", recording sessions began for their next album at Jay Kay's home studio in Buckinghamshire, Chillington. Around nine tracks were recorded for the album until the band's bassist, Stuart Zender, left the band. Zender's departure was a result of disputes between him and Kay, speculated due to writing credits and pay, though Zender himself has stated that he had wished to spend more time with his then-girlfriend and recently born baby. To avoid potential legal issues, the band decided to re-record the entire album from scratch, hiring a new bassist to take over Zender's role, Nick Fyffe. Fyffe had previously played in a Jamiroquai cover band, receiving an offer to join Jamiroquai. The revised album, "Synkronized", would be finished in only 6 months, releasing on June 8th, 1999.

The album's title represents the synchronicity among the band regarding the album itself, finding a sound that the band felt comfortable with: “I feel that everything in life is synchronized. Everything has a lead, everything’s got a universal harmony about it; the trees and the land, and the sea and sky and what have you …and that also it gets reflected in people. I think if you follow your heart, which is your natural intuition, you can’t go wrong."

The first track and lead single, Canned Heat, is described by Kay as an "angry" track, being a result of Zender's departure from the band, along with numerous other difficulties the band was facing at the time, the song encouraging one to just dance off their problems: "Dance / nothing left for me to do but dance / Off these bad times I'm going through just dance / Got canned heat in my heals tonight, baby."

The fifth track, Falling, is about Kay's relationship with his then-girlfriend at the time, Denise Van Outen, also being a melancholy love song. The second track, "Planet Home", is a return to the environmentalist-themes that were initially explored in the band's first album, yet absent from their following works, serving as a call for environmental protection: "This bluest sphere of tattered dreams / Is headin' for destruction / Illusions drip from every seam / It's just death, war and corruption".

The third track and third single, Black Capricorn Day, tackles themes of depression, despite it's upbeat sound. The fourth track, Soul Education, is described as a song about having "an instinctive understanding of universal truths", with Kay adding on: "A soul education is what we're all born with, and the [song's] lyrics say, "Life information — it's on the breeze."". Destitute Illusions, the seventh track, is a synth-driven instrumental track, followed by Supersonic, the seventh and second single, being more on the experimental-side, is the last Jamiroquai song to primarily feature the didgeridoo, along with being Wallis Buchanan's final track with the band as a whole. The final track and final single, King for a Day, is a string-heavy ballad, with the track's lyrics seemingly being pointed toward the band's former bassist, Stuart Zender: "Because it's true what they say / You know, it's true what they say / You're only king for a day / I guess you're happy that way".

Track Listing

1. Canned Heat
2. Planet Home
3. Black Capricorn Day
4. Soul Education
5. Falling
6. Destitute Illusions
7. Supersonic
8. Butterfly
9. Where Do We Go From Here?
10. King for a Day
    • Wolf In Sheep's Clothing (Bonus track)
    • Getinfunky (Japanese bonus track)

Gallery

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  Back cover

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  Vinyl interior

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  Vinyl insert

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  Cassette cover

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  Promotional sampler cover

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  Promotional cassette cover

Trivia

• Synkronized marks a major shift in the band's lineup, serving as the last album for many of the band's 'original lineup'; being the first album without bassist Stuart Zender, and being Wallis Buchanan (didgeridoo), Simon Katz (guitar), and Darren Galea "DJ D-Zire" (turntables) last album with Jamiroquai.
• Synkronized is the highest Jay Kay solo-written tracks in their discography, with 3 songs being solely written by him.