Cullum goes a different direction

Jamie Cullum's follow-up to his sensational "Twentysomething" goes a fairly different direction. Jazz purists may be a little upset by the majority pop influence that flows through the album. The sound is very modern, with drum programing and electronic keyboards dominating several tracks. The redeeming factor is that Cullum has changed up his sound in order to play to the mainstream without forsaking his roots. It would have been very easy for him to take the Justin Timberlake track and probably be far more sucessful than he has already been. The jazz roots are still dominant, the song writing is incredibly mature and the whole finished product is enough to just steal your heart. Cullum still cooks up a few great fresh interpretations of a few jazz standards (including the haunting, acidic "I only have eyes for you" and the heart melting "I'm glad there is you.") Cullum's interpretation of "Catch the Sun" makes for a wonderful cover. Cullum also gets a chance on several tracks to show of his flashy piano chops in spite of the pop influence. Cullum serves up a lot of variety with this album and while it is a step below "Twentysomething" it's a mighty high pedestal to step down from.

Let's table the labels

When I caught Jamie Cullum on "Austin City Limits" in early 2005, I was riveted. Here was an artist worth attention, I thought -- fresh, passionate, and engaging, with an original style that reflected diverse musical influences. The next day I ordered Twentysomething and couldn't wait to get Catching Tales as soon as it came out.

CATCHING TALES

A young English jazz-pop crooner who's intent on proving how much hipper he is than Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum updates his crisp throwback sound on the follow-up to his more conservative American debut, 2004's Twentysomething. Like that disc, Catching Tales presents a mix of songbook standards, contemporary pop tunes, and originals by Cullum and his brother Ben. There's a pensive version of "Catch the Sun" by the British guitar-rock act Doves as well as renditions of such wedding-band evergreens as "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "I'm Glad There Is You," the latter likely endearing Cullum to the same grandmotherly types who took a shine to recently deposed American Idol hopeful Kevin Covais. But Catching Tales' modern vibe has less to do with the repertoire than it does with the disc's ear-tickling production: in opener "Get Your Way," Dan the Automator layers Cullum's piano over a head-nodding beat jacked from an Allen Toussaint composition, and "Our Day Will Come" twinkles with leftover trip-hop atmospherics. The sonics are cool, and though Cullum still seems as if he might be a real chore to hang out with, they make the album a lot more fun.