Jamie Cullum (Decca)
As the cover of The Pursuit makes clear, Jamie Cullum is keen not to get stuck in the lucrative but stifling jazz-crooner ghetto. The trouble is he’s not quite sure how to get out of it. The Pursuit blends straightforward readings of show tunes, such as If I Ruled The World and Just One Of Those Things, with stilted soul (We Run Things), sub-Keane pop (Mixtape) and other even less successful stylistic flirtations. It’s a laudable mess certainly, but a mess nonetheless.
WILL FULFORD-JONES
