Jamie Cullum in “Pursuit” of something different on new album
By Phillip Sayblack
Friday, March 05, 2010
It’s been five long years since Brit-pop-jazz musician Jamie Cullum has released a new album. Whenever any artist or band takes such a long amount of time to release new material, this leads to discussion over whether or not an artist or band has decided to call it a career. Thankfully, for his fans, Jamie Cullum has finally put that uncertainty to rest with an album that, much like his American counterpart, Peter Cincotti, has moved far from his jazz roots. Cullum has, instead, opted for a more radio friendly—and at times, experimental—album that may leave even his most hardcore fans scratching their heads in bewilderment.
Cullum starts off ‘The Pursuit’ with a cover of the classic Cole Porter song, “Just One Of Those Things.“ Perhaps the manifest function of this cover is to remind audiences that while his new album is anything but jazzy, he hasn’t forgotten his roots. There is another soft jazz style song in “I Think, I Love” for fans of his softer sound. This one is perfect for a romantic evening. His poppier sound is not bad, either. The best of the poppier sound comes in the form of “Wheels”, “You and Me Are Gone”, and “We Run Things.“ The truly ear catching track of the entire album is not so much the cover of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music”, which seems to be garnering so much attention. Rather the real oddity of this album is the Jamiroquai-esque, 7-minute plus “Music is Through.“ This song is perfect for a dance club. And considering his previous work, a song of this nature was a huge risk for Cullum. It is anything but what his fans have come to expect. The cover of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music” is far less of a risk than “Music is Through.“ He makes his rendition of the song his own, and believeable at the same time. The only low points of this album lie in the melancholy, introspective, “If I Ruled the World”, and “The Move On Song.“ The latter of these songs is available only on the standard edition of the album.
The separation of the two editions is a major factor that could also affect sales of the album. Unlike so many other bands and artists that release albums with multiple formats (and little difference between them), Cullum has released this new album in two editions with noticeably different setups for the bonus material. This includes the bonus tracks on both editions. The single disc edition includes a trio of songs different from those on the deluxe edition. It also includes just a pair of music videos. The deluxe edition, on the other hand, includes a full extra dvd that includes a five-song live set from the Montreaux Jazz Festival, and a pair of songs not on the standard edition. Ultimately, what this does is it forces fans to have to make a decision what they really feel is most important to them. Some fans may even say that instead of having to choose between the two, they may just wait until the album is re-released with everything on one large set. This, along with the general lack of publicity for the new album, has the potential to lead to sagging original sales for this release. Regardless of the outcome, Cullum’s fans have an album that is a solid listen from start to finish.
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