The reason I chose Jamie Cullum is first because he is one of my very favorite artists. The other reason being that he is somewhat an unknown, and I am sure there are a few of you in this group who have never heard of him.I can’t remember where I first heard him but I do remember the first song I heard, which is called “All at Sea.” I remember thinking this song is a mix between pop and jazz and I really liked it. I then went on to buy his album Twentysomething and thoroughly enjoyed it.
There are very few cd’s I can listen to from beginning to end and this is one of them. I enjoy every track on this album, and while there are some songs I like more than others they all seem to flow very well together.
I then went on to get Pointless Nostalgic, which he put out before Twentysomething. These two cd’s are very much alike in my opinion. Therefore I of course like them. He then released his album “Catching Tales” a few years later and it almost seems to be a little more on the pop side.
I have to say when I first heard this album I did not enjoy it as much as the other two. However, over time I have found that it is growing on me as well. I am wondering if you guys notice a change from his first two cd’s to his third one and if it is a good change or a bad change in your opinion.
When listening to Jamie Cullum this week I want you to try and see how it was that he fused jazz and pop together. Does it work well? Should you leave one genre alone and not try to mix others in with it? Jamie Cullum also does many covers such as “Frontin” by the Neptunes, another one being “High and Dry” which is a Radiohead song.
I do not know what Justin and David’s opinion on this song will be since they are die hard Radiohead fans, but this song is actually my favorite. I have heard the Radiohead song and enjoy Jamie’s version better. Let me know what you guys think of it and if you can list anymore of the songs, which he covered. I know a few of them but am always surprised to learn whether the song is his original or a cover.
CD order is:
1) Pointless Nostalgic
2) Twentysomething
3) Catching Tales
I also want you to listen to the song from Gran Torino, which Jamie Cullum and Clint Eastwood put together.
I have to say when I first heard this album I did not enjoy it as much as the other two. However, over time I have found that it is growing on me as well. I am wondering if you guys notice a change from his first two cd’s to his third one and if it is a good change or a bad change in your opinion.
When listening to Jamie Cullum this week I want you to try and see how it was that he fused jazz and pop together. Does it work well? Should you leave one genre alone and not try to mix others in with it? Jamie Cullum also does many covers such as “Frontin” by the Neptunes, another one being “High and Dry” which is a Radiohead song.
I do not know what Justin and David’s opinion on this song will be since they are die hard Radiohead fans, but this song is actually my favorite. I have heard the Radiohead song and enjoy Jamie’s version better. Let me know what you guys think of it and if you can list anymore of the songs, which he covered. I know a few of them but am always surprised to learn whether the song is his original or a cover.
CD order is:
1) Pointless Nostalgic
2) Twentysomething
3) Catching Tales
I also want you to listen to the song from Gran Torino, which Jamie Cullum and Clint Eastwood put together.
If you want to check out his website with lots of other information and a preview of his next album go to www.jamiecullum.com
I got an early jump yesterday and listened to Pointless Nostalgic all the way through while I was cleaning. I definitely don't hate it, but I'm not really sure what I think yet... My first thought was that it sounded like I was dining at a fancy restaurant and I really liked the first track, and then the title track sounded like a jazzy version of Ashlee Simpson's "Autobiography." I guess this is where the jazz/pop fusion comes into play, but I'll need to listen more closely... and then I'll do a post sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteThe first track is one of my favorites on that c.d. It is definately more upbeat. I think once you get to the next cd you will see a little more of the pop/jazz feel.
ReplyDeleteBTW thanks for cleaning up my post. As you see on my other blog I usually just group large groups of words together in one big paragraph.
No prob, it's the editor in me, I like to keep things consistent ;)
ReplyDeleteLet me start by saying that this is outside of my typical realm of music. When I hear Jamie Cullum, I consider him a modern crooner along with Steve Tyrell, Michael Buble, and Harry Connick Jr. The problem I have with the crooners is that it seems like there is an unwritten rule somewhere that says that they can only sing songs off of a 50 track list somewhere. Even when Steve Tyrell comes out with a 'new' album, it is just filled with him singing songs that Sinatra and Dean Martin sang many years ago. What I like about Cullum, however, is that doesn't stick to that list and he puts his own jazzy spin to it. There are several tracks on twentysomething and Catching Tales that he actually wrote and I prefer those to the covers.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I enjoyed going through the three albums. Pointless Nostalgic was very slow and was almost entirely covers. It seem like he felt that he needed to sing those songs in order to get his name out there and for him to 'make it big.' This one was much more instrumental and afterwards I didn't feel that he was any different than Steve Tyrell. I only gave this 2 out of 5 stars. Twenty Something was much more upbeat and upon listening to it, I really got the sense of who he was as an artist. Between his own songs, covers of more recent tracks, and his spin on the old covers, I began to separate him from my crooner stereotype. This was an album that I could easily listen to all the way through over and over again. I gave this 4 out of 5 stars. Catching Tales, I felt was very similar to twentysomething. I did not notice many differences in style, but did notice there were far less covers, which as I have already pointed out, enjoy much more. This was another album that I could listen to all the way through and could keep on repeat. I also gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.
In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed the albums and appreciate the unique sound and interpretations he puts in his music. I feel that his jazz and pop mixing works well for him and find it to be a fresh and modern sound. Looking forward to the album in November.
Also, I want to call out that every time I visit this website, my computer gets locked up for 6 minutesl
This selection surprised me simply for the fact that Jamie doesn't have an extensive discography; as a lover of jazz music and jazz standards I was not mad at my "mandatory listening" of these three albums. Being exposed to Jamie from riding around and listening to him with Beth and Thomas, I was familiar with his work. I think this is a great segue into my Herbie Hancock pick for next week.
ReplyDeletePointless Nostalgic is Jamie dipping his toes into the jazz pool. Not making a huge splash but not going unnoticed. The recording is very crisp and sounds like every song was done in one take; Jamie's voice is the star of the show, it's not polished and pitch perfect but that's what makes him stand out against other contemporaries like Buble or Tyrell. A great example is on the Monk standard "Well You Needn't"; Jamie's voice is in a race to keep up with Monk's frantic pace, which is punctuated with Jamie's growl/deep breath after the chorus. The cover of "High and Dry" is a bit much for Jamie as he reaches for the high note during the chorus and can't quite get there, which detracts from the song for me. Overall, you can definately hear Jamie's great ear for arranging music and making other peoples songs his own without stepping on their feet.
Twentysomething has sort of an awkward start to it. The song "Twentysomething" tries to speak to a younger generation, "going to the gym" and "getting a six pack" seemed a little out of place in a jazz arrangement. The Hendrix cover of "Wind Cries Mary" was a little too upbeat considering it's a song about loss. "All At Sea" rights the ship and exhibits the pop/jazz direction that Jamie is inevitably taking. He exudes a unique charm that when he sings a standard, like "Blame It On My Youth", it's almost like hearing it for the first time. We have a more cleaned-up version of "High and Dry" and a suprising cover of "Frontin'" that Jamie translates very well with a Guaraldian (I just made that up) ease.
Catching Tales made me want to listen to Kool G Rap's "Ill Street Blues" because of the sample that Jamie uses for "Get Your Way". "Photograph" touched a nerve with me, where he faltered with the song "Twentysomething" he excels at portraying the experiences of youth relived through photos;
"Mind Trick" is a soulfull/R&B departure for Jamie that feels almost natural for him. He stretches his sound the furthest, so far, on this album but it never seems too far; he always finds his way back to his musical roots. His arrangement on the Doves cover "Catch The Sun" is very rocking for him, but accessible for his audience. All three albums we're very enjoyable, but his experimentation on this album really paid off and made for my favorite listening experience.
I compare Jamie's music to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich: it's not flashy, but it is very comforting and satisfying.
I also want to call shennanigans on David. After scrolling through our Nsync thread, David never gave his views on any of our required listening. I realize he wrote a lengthy piece on boy bands in general, but isn't the point of this exercise to specifically listen to certain albums and summarize what you heard. Everyone else discussed specific albums and tracks with their opinions. I guess what I'm saying is that I'm dying to hear what David thought of "No String Attached" specifically......not really, but it's only fair. If I'm missing the point of this blog let me know, I'm just not a fan of vague answers and I do actually value everyones thoughts on the same things I'm listening to. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm just sayin.
ReplyDeleteI am very happy that Justin and Thomas found some enjoyment out of this week's pick. I kind of figured Justin may somewhat enjoy it, but did not know Thomas would like it as much as he did. I did not know what anyone thought about the song I posted on here? It is a little different than his other stuff. Can't wait to hear from Laura and David on all this.
ReplyDeleteHey Beth, I have gone over and over Jamie's stuff and have been thinking about it on all my walks/runs and anytime I've been in the car this week. I haven't posted much about it yet because I guess I'm still kind of undecided. I will make deadline though, don't worry. After all, that was my job for 3 years...
ReplyDeleteJustin, I just noticed that David did post on the NSYNC thing on Tuesday (late, but better than never I guess). Was it not what you expected?
ReplyDeleteI originally did not mean for this blog to be a collection of reviews. If I had, I never would have had you listen to NSYNC because I could have figured Thomas and I and maybe Beth would be the only ones to semi-enjoy it.
It was supposed to be a general discussion of the artist and not whether you LIKE them, but whether you objectively think they have any redeeming qualities where they fit into world or American culture. That's why you're supposed to pick 5 albums that span the artist's career rather than the 5 you like the best.
David started off down the right path by thinking into the whole boy band thing and writing that lengthy post about boy bands, but yes, could have written a little more about his opinion the artist (which he will do this week, so check back if you want to read it).
Even though it wasn't originally intended so much, I kind of like that people have been rating each album and saying whether they liked it or not, because I think it adds to the discussion. With our little group here it's interesting to see what different personalities enjoy.
I expected and intended for the blog to evolve naturally as we went along, which is why rule 5 is "Rules are subject to change." I can update them to reflect what we like after we get through this first cycle if you like.
If you guys want to discuss or clarify the rules and the way this thing should go, that's cool with me. I would suggest moving forward this way -
When it's NOT your week, go ahead and continue to respond via comment on the discussion posts throughout the week. Feel free, if you have the extra desire, to write your own full post about the artist, but you won't be required to do so like I originally intended. You will, however, be required to comment BEFORE the deadline. You have all week so there really are no excuses.
When commenting, make sure you have looked at the artist both objectively and subjectively, and share your opinions. Rating albums can be on an optional basis.
That way we've covered all the bases.
If you have any more concerns, e-mail me at laminette.griff@gmail.com. If needed, I can start a concerns thread on the blog so we don't clog up artist discussions like this when we have something we want to work out. (Sorry, Beth.)
First off, I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of vocal jazz in general. I agree with Thomas when he says that it seems as if there are only 50 songs that these guys typically sing, even though I realize that this is why they're called 'standards'. I feel like it's just kind of hard to create much variation on these songs, and once you've heard the song by someone like Frank Sinatra it's not really possible to hear a better version from someone else.
ReplyDeleteAs for the albums themselves.....I thought that Pointless Nostalgic was his weakest effort. There was nothing very original with the instrumentation, and at that point in his career I think that Jamie lacked the charisma to be able to pull off a song like "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." As for the cover of Radiohead's "High and Dry," I applaud him in his taste in music, but I think that this song may have been a bit over his head. His version lacked the feeling of the original, and as such a fan of Radiohead, I may be a pretty tough judge on covers of their songs. The two original tracks by Jamie were a bit of fresh air instrumentally, but I thought the lyrics (especially on the title track) were a little trite. Overall, Jamie's voice wasn't bad, but I think that he needed to take a few more chances musically.
Twentysomething was a bit of a step up in terms of quality. Jamie was a little more adventurous with the structure of the songs, and most of them were more upbeat than the songs on the previous album. I didn't so much get the feeling that I should be sitting in a restaurant or martini bar with this one, which is a good thing. With this album he had quite a few more original songs, and in general I thought they were better than any of his past efforts. I think Jamie was growing as a songwriter, and it shows. The covers were more hit or miss, however. I like the chance he took incorporating electronic elements into "Singin' in the Rain," but I thought they kind of went against the tone of the song. The original was one of the happiest songs that I've ever heard, but this version seems a bit morose....almost like he was faking or mocking the happiness spoken about in the lyrics to the song. The cover of Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" was much better. He stuck more closely to the feel of the original, and was better off for it. His vocal performance on the song was excellent, and he put across the same sort of emotions that Buckley had (which isn't easy, as Buckley is one of the more emotional singers that I've ever heard). Overall, I like the changes in his sound that he began in this album, and they prepared him for his next album, which broke even more new ground.
The small changes that Jamie made on Twentysomething took full form on his next album, Chasing Tales. Right from the start of the first song, "Get Your Way," this is apparent. With production courtesy of Dan the Automator (formerly of Gorillaz), this song has a much more pop/urban feel than anything Jamie had done in the past. With his version of The Flamingos classic "I Only Have Eyes For You," Jamie inserts a deep bass line, giving the 50's hit a more contemporary sound. It's enjoyable, although not entirely successful, as much of the eeriness of the original that made it one of my all-time favorite songs is lost. This is definitely the album where the pop influences that Jamie had shown in the past come to full fruition. The jazz standards that he had become known for with his prior albums are almost entirely absent, replaced by songs such as "Mind Trick" and "London Skies" that wouldn't sound out of place on a pop station. As I said in the beginning, I'm not the biggest fan of vocal jazz, so I think that the changes that he made are entirely welcome. As such, this album was by far my favorite of the three, and is one that I could see myself listening to again occasionally in the future.
ReplyDeleteIn all, I think that Jamie Cullum is quite talented with a very good voice (he sounds similar to the vocalist for the Arctic Monkeys to me), and based on his most recent album, I think that he has a bright future ahead of himself. Hopefully with his next release (which comes out very soon,) Jamie will synthesize the vocal jazz and pop stylings even further, and make something very interesting. Thank you to Beth for introducing us all to an artist that I almost certainly wouldn't have listened to otherwise.
It's hard to explain, but I neither like nor dislike Jamie Cullum. I guess what I'm saying is nothing about him jumps out at me as being original or anything spectacular, and at the same time I find no reason for annoyance or major dislike. Maybe I just don't get it.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Thomas in that jazz is not the type of music I typically listen to, but I went in with an open mind and read some background on Jamie on Wikipedia (which I linked in Beth's post).
"Pointless Nostalgic" sounded smooth and relaxing, but also exactly like any other jazz standard singer to me. I liked the first song, "You And The Night And The Music," so I had high hopes, until I started hearing covers, none of which I liked as much or better than their originals. The title track, as I said in a previous post, was kind of cheesy for me, which is actually kind of weird since I am a bit of a pointless nostalgic myself. Still, something was not quite right for me. So I gave Twenty-something a chance.
Jamie's second album was better, but still not great. For me. I think the first two albums sound extraordinarily similar actually - both a bit like I should be sitting in a restaurant or martini bar while hearing them. That being said, it's very nice ambient music - easy listening, sexy voice, but really nothing I care to see in concert or listen to in my car too often (after this I mean). Again, I liked the first track the best (and yes, I did listen past it), but I did not fancy (I'm British now, don't you know) this version of "Singing in the Rain." I found it quite bland with none of the excitement of the original.
If you thought you were going to get through this without a positive comment, you were wrong. "Catching Tales" was quite a departure from the other two, much to my delight. It seems like sexy-voice is finally hitting his stride with this one. I've been thinking about him as a pop-jazz artist and until the third album had been quite disappointed to not hear the pop influences I expected. I guess I was thinking more along the lines of John Mayer is to blues-pop. I did not like the cover of the Flamingos' "I Only Have Eyes for You," but liked the light feel of "Photograph," which I think focuses in on his voice a little more (which if you can't tell is what I like about Jamie).
If he can continue to progress as he has, I think he could show me something that could sway me more toward "like." He's just not there yet. For the time being, you can call me Nelly Neutral. (On second thought, don't call me that.)