RE: "Jamiroquai-esque" and Ben Harper

Jon Jung (jjung@mail.summer.hawaii.edu)
Tue, 16 Apr 1996 10:28:17 -1000


Funny you should open up this can of worms....

I don't mean a personal attack on you or your tastes but Jamiroquai is a little
too derivative (to me) of Stevie Wonder. I love Stevie Wonder a lot, one of my
favorite artists, but when a friend told me that I'd dig Jamiroquai because of
the "sound association", I had to give it a lesson.
IMOO (and after over four years of listening to soul, jazz, and funk),
Jamiroquai has a very contrived groove that is to me like listening to "Funk
Lite". Know what I'm sayin'? Maybe "Musiquarium" was not a good choice to
purchase; it is more late '70s stuff and greatest hits material that I can see
people not fully getting into. Try the aforementioned "Songs In the Key of
Life"; I think it is Stevie's best.

Now that I've opened up my can of worms, Ben Harper played for free last night
here in Hawaii. He played at a club called "The Groove" (and it never does).
Unfortunately, I had my radio show last night and could not go but I'll talk to
a friend of mine who did and will report later.

--Jon
_______________________________________________________________________________

Well, different strokes for different folks. As a musician for 15 years,
I can see some serious talent in Jamiroquai's music--particularly in the
bass player and drummer. I purchased Stevie's "Musiquarium" double, and
I wasn't impressed. There are a couple of groovy tunes on there, but
nothing compared to the absolute raw funkiness of Jamiroquai.