Jamiroquai

The Return of the Space Cowboy (Columbia)
by Chris Adams

Jay Jamiroquai has a funny Russian hat, a Native American handle, two perfectly good eyes and pasty-white English skin. Barring these small details, he is, in essence, Stevie Wonder circa the mid-’70s. Having the jazz-funk sensibility of Billy Fury, I initially reacted to The Return of the Space Cowboy by subtitling it “Songs in the Key of Shit.” While my booty remains steadfastly shake-free, those still reeling from the cosmic socio-botanical vibes of Wonder’s Secret Life of Plants will find a perfect supplement in this laid-back motherlode of purloined PC jive.