Album Review

Twentysomething
Jamie Cullum
Rating: 90/100

Specially requested at to play at The Queen's birthday party at Saint James' Palace, Jamie Cullum has settled with the knowledge that his pub-playing days are over. The Twentysomething singer has shredded up the UK pop charts and his soulful vibe has finally crossed the Atlantic in a pungent October release of remade classics and self penned ballads. Twentysomething fufills the paradox of a modern classic jazz, with standards such as Sinatra's "I Get a Kick Out of You", and Hendrix's "Wind Cries Mary". Jamie also takes several tracks to prove himself as a lyricist, a title he shares with his brother Ben on the album, with lines such as "Love ain't the answer, nor is work; The truth eludes me so much it hurts; But I'm still having fun and I guess that's the key; I'm a twentysomething and I'll keep being me". One listen to Twentysomething and we were convinced of Jamie Cullum's virtuosity, charisma, and chart power. This is a musician who truly defies genre, who can be compared to Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and all the legends we like to associate with classic original music. Jaime explains his choosing of the album title Twentysomething, as "Being too young to worry about distinctions and old enough to grasp the manifold possibilities of music". Right on!

By Sarah Gayle