''Automaton'' is the eighth studio album by English

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

band

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai ( ) are an English acid jazz and funk band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

, released on 31 March 2017 through Virgin EMI. It is the band's first album in seven years, following '' Rock Dust Light Star'' (2010). It was a number-one album in Italy and peaked at number two in Switzerland, number three in France and number four in the UK.

Background

Jay Kay Jason "Jay" Kay (born Jason Luís Cheetham, 30 December 1969) is a British singer and songwriter. In 1992, he co-founded the acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai and still serves as their lead vocalist. As of 2017, the band had sold more than 26 ...

described the inspiration for ''Automaton'': "in recognition of the rise of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

and technology in our world today and how we as humans are beginning to forget the more pleasant, simple and eloquent things in life and in our environment including our relationship with one another as human beings".

Reception

Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews. At

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from music critics, the album received an average score of 71, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 16 reviews. In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, Matt Collar concluded: "There are few bands who play classic disco-funk with as much genuine love for the genre and care in the productions as Kay and Jamiroquai. Ultimately, it's that sense of love and good vibes that drives much of ''Automaton''." Although not released as a single, "Shake it On" broke into the Official French Singles Chart, peaking at number 154.

Promotion

The album had its worldwide radio premiere on 26 January 2017 at 20:00 GMT on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

's '' Jo Whiley Show'', which played its first single, "

Automaton An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers i ...

Singles

On 27 January 2017, Jamiroquai released online a video version of the title track as the album's lead single. On 10 February 2017, Jamiroquai released an audio version of the track "Cloud 9", and on 22 February 2017 released online the video version featuring actress Monica Cruz. On 29 June 2017, the band released "Superfresh" as the third official single from the album. An accompanying music video was produced without active participation from front man Jay Kay, whose back injury most likely left him unable to attend the filming. As a result, cut scenes from the "Automaton" video were interspersed throughout it. In December 2017, a fourth single, "Summer Girl", was released. It was followed by "Nights Out in the Jungle" in January 2018.

Tour

On 17 January 2017, Jamiroquai announced a 10-date festival tour of Asia and Europe due to start on 25 May 2017 in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan, and to end on 5 August 2017 in Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal; the tour also included shows in South Korea, Greece, the Netherlands, Italy, Finland, France, Switzerland and Czech Republic. On 1 February 2017, Jamiroquai announced a new show: on 9 August 2017 at Smukfest, Skanderborg, Denmark. On 3 February 2017, Jamiroquai announced two new shows, in France and the UK: on 28 March 2017 at the

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by the acoustician Gustave Lyon together with the architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed i ...

, Paris and on 31 March 2017 at

the Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...

, London. The two shows were sold out in less than one minute. Two new band members joined at the time of the tour: Nate Williams on guitar and keyboards, and Howard Whiddett on Ableton Live. Jamiroquai also announced they would take part on 12 August 2017 in the

Boardmasters Festival Boardmasters Festival is an annual event held in Cornwall, United Kingdom, usually spanning five days on the second weekend of August. The event is a combination of live music and surfing/skateboarding competitions in and around the town of New ...

Newquay Newquay ( ; ) is a town on the north coast in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is a civil parishes in England, civil parish, seaside resort, regional centre for aerospace industries with an airport and a spaceport, and a fishing port on t ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, United Kingdom.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. *

– vocals * Matt Johnson – keyboards, engineering, programming * Paul Turner – bass guitar * Rob Harris – guitar * Derrick McKenzie – drums * Sola Akingbola – percussion * John Thirkell - trumpet, flugel, horn arrangements * Andy Greenwood - trumpet, flugel * Dave Bishop - saxophones * Neil Sidwell - trombone * Joshua Blair – engineering * John Prestage – engineering assistance * Mick Guzauski – mixing * JP Chalbos – mastering

Background

Reception

Promotion

Singles

Tour

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

Notes

External links