Twentysomething

Rating

Album: Twentysomething
#	Song Title		Time
1)	What A Difference A Day Made	More Info...
2)	These Are The Days	More Info...
3)	Singing In The Rain	More Info...
4)	Twentysomething	More Info...
5)	But For Now	More Info...
6)	Old Devil Moon	More Info...
7)	I Could Have Danced All Night	More Info...
8)	Blame It On My Youth	More Info...
9)	I Get A Kick Out Of You	More Info...
10)	All At Sea	More Info...
11)	Wind Cries Mary	More Info...
12)	Lover You Should Have Come Over	More Info...
13)	It's About Time	More Info...
14)	Next Year Baby	More Info...

Performer Notes

Asian issue features the bonus track "Old Devil Moon."
Personnel: Jamie Cullum (vocals, accordion, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer organ, Mellotron, percussion); John Parricelli (guitar); Jackie Shane , Gavyn Wright (violin); Bruce White (viola); David Daniels (cello); Jamie Talbot, Alan Barnes (alto saxophone); Ben Castle (tenor saxophone); Martin Shaw (trumpet, flugelhorn); Mark Nightingale (trombone); Oren Marshall (tuba); Geoff Gascoyne (acoustic bass, electric bass); Michael Strange, Sebastian DeKrom (drums); Francis Fuster (percussion).
Recording information: Mayfair Studios (06/2003-07/2003).
Arrangers: Jamie Cullum; Geoff Gascoyne.
Already a sensation in his native England, 22-year-old piano-man Jamie Cullum comes off like a hip amalgamation of Harry Connick, Jr. and Randy Newman on his sophomore effort, Twentysomething. Showcasing Cullum's sardonic wit and lounge-savvy attitude, the album deftly flows from singer/songwriter love songs to jazzy barroom romps and reappropriated modern rock tunes. Cullum has a warm voice with a slight rasp that retains a bit of his Brit accent even though his influences -- Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Tom Waits -- are resolutely American. Truthfully, Cullum isn't the most accomplished vocalist and his piano chops are pleasant at best -- Oscar Peterson he ain't. That said, he's still a kick. What he lacks in technique he makes up for in swagger and smarts as many of his original compositions reveal. On the swinging and wickedly humorous title track -- a take on postgraduate slackerdom -- Cullum sardonically laments, "After years of expensive education, a car full of books and anticipation, I'm an expert on Shakespeare and that's a hell of a lot but the world don't need scholars as much as I thought." It's a timely statement in our overeducated, underemployed "dot-bomb" economy and deftly posits Cullum as a jazz singer as much of as for his generation. Also compelling are his choices of cover tunes, as he is able to imprint his own persona on the songs while magnifying what made them brilliant to begin with. To these ends, Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over" gets a gut-wrenchingly minimalist treatment and Radiohead's "High and Dry" comes off as the best Bruce Hornsby song you've never heard. Conversely, Cullum treats jazz standards as modern pop tunes, reworking them into contemporary styles that are neither cynical nor awkward. In fact, his atmospheric, '70s AM pop take on "Singin' in the Rain," replete with string backgrounds and Cullum's percolating Rhodes keyboard, is one of the most appealing cuts on the album, lending the Great American Songbook warhorse an air of virginity. ~ Matt Collar

Professional Reviews

Q (p.44) - "[It] does go nice with Chardonnay and soft furnishings."

Fishpond works with suppliers all over the world to bring you a huge selection of products, really great prices, and delivery included on over 25 million products that we sell. We do our best every day to make Fishpond an awesome place for customers to shop and get what they want — all at the best prices online.

About Fishpond

You can earn a 8% commission by selling Twentysomething on your website. It's easy to get started - we will give you example code. After you're set-up, your website can earn you money while you work, play or even sleep! You should start right now!

Are you the Author or Publisher of a book? Or the manufacturer of one of the millions of products that we sell. You can improve sales and grow your revenue by submitting additional information on this title. The better the information we have about a product, the more we will sell!

Submit Information