Emergency On Planet Earth

In the liner notes to Jamiroquai's debut album, lead singer and mastermind Jason Kay delivers a sincere, if oversimplified, screed about distributing the wealth and saving the rainforests. The lyrics follow suit: except for a single love tune ("Blow Your Mind"), Kay bemoans war, greed, racism, and conformity, or extols the power of music as a drug ("Hooked Up") or as a catalyst for social revolution. This is not Jamiroquai's most eloquent album, nor their strongest musically, what with most songs structured as long-form, open-ENDed jams weighing in at six minutes or more. Though interesting as a chronicle of Kay's musical vision taking shape, overall it's a document that will appeal most to Deadheads and jam-band fans.