Jamiroquai's Emergency On Planet Earth

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The Fusion of Acid Jazz and Funk: A Critical Musical Analysis of Jamiroquai’s "Emergency On Planet Earth" This critical study will examine the musical and cultural aspects of Jamiroquai’s "Emergency On Planet Earth", which was released in 1993. The release of this album coincided with the cultural apogee of the ”grunge movement” in popular alternative music. Jamiroquai’s music relies heavily on the acid jazz and funk style as a uniquely popular genre during this historical period. Singer, Jay Kay, resembles Stevie wonder’s singing style, which also defines a reliance on a 1970s proto-funk style of horn arrangements and funk groove in the rhythm section. These cultural influences also define the rise of retro-funk in bands like the Red Hot …show more content…

Culturally, Jamiroquai released this album during a time of punk/heavy metal revival in the “grunge movement”, yet this album epitomizes a successful and graceful merger of funk and acid jazz in the early 1990s. The songs “When You Gonna Learn (Digeridoo)” and “Revolution 1993” define a new approach to the mix of acid jazz and funk as the primary element of a new experimental approach to this genre. Perhaps, this was a major reason why this album tended became very popular in a time when Nirvana and Pearl Jam dominated the airwaves. In fact, Jon Kay and his band also fused the classic elements of jazz instrumentation and rhythm through the Hammond organ sound in “Music Of The Mind” to achieve this graceful application of psychedelic and jam session ideology into the music. Overall, Jamiroquai’s "Emergency On Planet Earth" defines a new genre development in the pioneering mix of acid jazz and funk during the early 1990s. More so, this album had a major impact on redefining the funk sensibilities of an era of funk, such as the popular version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, into a more experimental and jam-based application of this music. Jamiroquai’s "Emergency On Planet Earth" is a masterful fusion of acid jazz and funk that should continue to influence musicians of the future well into the 21st

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