This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Jazz-pop phenom Jamie Cullum is all the rage back home in his native England. And no wonder. The laddish singer-pianist is practically tailor-made for stardom.
Sort of a cross between Billy Joel, Brad Mehldau, Harry Connick and Robbie Williams, the charismatic 23-year-old also combines a jazz-club pedigree with rock-star showmanship and a college student’s CD collection. Which means that on his casually sophisticated major-label debut Twentysomething, raspy-voiced crooner Cullum divides his time between respectful readings of Tin Pan Alley standards like I Get A Kick Out Of You, jazzed-up revamps of rockers like Wind Cries Mary and his own strongly melodic piano-pop originals. At the same time, he flaunts enough irony to appeal to the kids, enough nostalgic sincerity to woo the oldsters, enough talent to get by and enough novelty value to be the flavour of the month in NME. And with all that going for him, I wouldn’t be surprised if North Americans acquire a taste for Cullum in short order.
