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I've always like Jamiroquai, but when I walked into HMV and listened to this album, I only scanned the first 15 seconds of each song. By the time I had gotten through about five or six songs, I stopped it. Why? 'Cause I already knew that I had to buy the album.

I haven't heard an album this funky in quite a long time, so this was definitely a welcome surprise. Jamiroquai burst onto the scene in 1993 with their debut album, "Emergency on Planet Earth." Led by Jason Kay, the band delivered heartfealt lyrics with great instrumentation. They're firmly grounded in the history of funk, but have never been afraid to innovate. The next two albums, "Return Of The Space Cowboy," and "Travelling Without Moving" set the stage, and now we're ready to get "Synkronized."

Tracks to check for: All of them, but in this case, especially "Canned Heat," the first single; "Supersonic," and my personal favourite, "King for a Day." Jay's lyrics are always insightful and meaningful. Check out his ode to Earth, "Planet Home." The album is also musically excellent, with every member of the band playing their part perfectly.

For those times when you don't want something quite so hyped, but you don't necessarily want to chill all the way either, pop this album in. There are tracks that will make you want to get up and dance, songs that will touch your soul, and songs for chilling.

The final verdict: Well worth the ducats, and an album that you won't regret having in your collection in any way.

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