British jazz-musician. Now, that's certainly a term you don't hear everyday. However, with his soulful vocals and toe-tapping melodies, Jamie Cullum shows that those Brits certainly know how to let loose on his sophomore album, Catching Tales.
The new album continues the precedent set by Cullum's 2003 Verve debut, Twentysomething, which received medium play in the popular spotlight of VH1 and MTV. Best known for its hit track, "All At Sea," Twentysomething became an international success, going double platinum in the UK and eventually selling nearly 400,000 copies in the U.S. alone. The success of this album even brought comparisons to jazz greats such as Harry Connick Jr. and Britain's flamboyant singer-pianist, Elton John.
Like its 2003 predecessor, Catching Tales transcends the boundaries of conventional jazz music and reaches for another level, blending hip-hop, pop and rock. The album offers something for every mood with a sampling of up-tempo tracks, soft ballads and a handful of modernized cover songs such as Henry Warren's classic, "I Only Have Eyes for You" and the Doves' "Catch the Sun."
Catching Tales kicks off to a rousing start with "Get Your Way," a track that features DJ and producer Dan the Automatic. Set to a heavy hip-hop bass line, Cullum brings the track to life as his fingers dance along the ivories, a trumpet fanfare screams out and his smooth voice skats, "So what game shall we play today? / How about the one where you don't get your way? / But even if you do / That's okay." This track is so catchy, Cullum couldn't help but include a live version recorded at a London jazz club, Ronnie Scott's, to bring the album to a stunning conclusion.
The abundant innovation displayed in "Get Your Way" isn't nearly as effective in "Our Day Will Come." The song's introduction sounds murky and its strange vibraphone sound effects are just like those on the "Napoleon Dynamite" soundtrack. The song does not recover from its shady beginning. Cullum's otherwise sumptuous vocals have an unusual scratchy quality and are further overpowered by the clutter of instrumentation in the background of the track.
The same can be said of Cullum's reworked version of "I Only Have Eyes for You." Similar to the abysmal 'Nsync cover of "Sailing," this cover should not have been attempted. The track's high-pitched synthesized riffs soon become tiresome and Cullum's voice is backed up by an unsettling echo track. While the singer-songwriter has a great voice, two layers of it are quite unnecessary in this case.
Catching Tales recovers slightly with Cullum's cover of "Catch the Sun" by the Doves, one of the artist's favorite British bands. This track displays the musician's greatest strengths: his powerful vocals and remarkable ability to work the piano. The song takes on a piano-rock tone and utilizes synthesized effects sparingly to create a clean overall sound.
Cullum sounds like the "British Billy Joel" in "7 Days to Change Your Life," as he playfully tickles the ivories and carries on in a sing-song fashion, "So many years ago I was so low and lonely / And depressed / I hadn't left my flat in weeks and / Never even bothered getting dressed," and offers life advice shortly there after.
Overall, Jamie Cullum continues to show off his innovative talent both as a vocalist and composer in Catching Tales. While this time he is a bit ambitious and compiles too many unique elements into one track, this album is still on par with Twentysomething. If he keeps going at this rate, Cullum will have the jazz-listening public saying, "Norah Jones, who? Harry Connick Jr., who?" in no time.
Grade: B
