Jamiroquai - Synkronized

Synkronized arrived in 1999 at a tense moment for Jamiroquai. Longtime bassist Stuart Zender, whose playing had anchored the band's sound across three albums, left partway through recording, and Nick Fyffe stepped in to finish the job. Despite the upheaval, the album debuted at number one on the UK chart the week of its release, proof that the band's groove driven funk and dance leaning rhythms could survive a lineup shakeup without losing momentum.

The record leans into a sleeker, more electronic edge than its predecessors while staying rooted in the same funk foundation. "Canned Heat," the lead single, became one of the band's most enduring dance floor staples, built on a tight, propulsive groove that still gets played out regularly today. "Black Capricorn Day," released only in Japan, and the title track round out an album that finds the band stretching toward late 90s club and acid jazz textures without abandoning the live instrumentation that always set them apart from their dance music peers. It's a record that captures a band in transition and still landing on its feet.

This 2018 Sony Music reissue presses the album on 180 gram vinyl in a gatefold sleeve with UV spot artwork, and adds "Deeper Underground" as a vinyl bonus track not included on the original 1999 LP. A solid way to revisit a record that marked both a changing of the guard within the band and one of the most confident chapters of their late 90s run.