I still got the beat in my head from Jamie Cullum's "These Are The Days". An avid fan of Cullum's work, I still like to spin one of his earlier albums of his career. Twentysomething struck a wonderful chord as Cullum successfully blended soft rock, jazz, big band and crooner all into one great album. Released back in 2003 ('04 in the US), Jamie has shown many music enthusiasts that getting a nice big contract from a record label won't necessarily change your style or music taste.
Cullum's rise to fame occurred after Sony and Universal Records were locked into a bidding war to secure the next few releases. Cullum's "Pointless Nostalgic" created a lot of interest from both sides, but it was Universal Records who won the bidding war with a contract to Cullum for 1 million pounds! The labels took a big risk with such a huge contract and in the end, it paid off. Twentysomething reached platinum status in the UK and in 2003 was one of UK's all time selling records.
1. These Are The Days
2. Twentysomething
3. Wind Cries Mary
4. All at Sea
5. Lover, You Should Have Come Over
6. Singin' In The Rain
7. I Get A Kick Out Of You
8. Blame It On My Youth
9. High and Dry
10. It's About Time
11. But For Now
12. I Could Have Danced All Night
13. Next Year Baby
14. What A Difference A Day Made
15. Frontin'
Like I mentioned before, Twentysometing is a combination of multiple music styles and genres that seem to blend into one great album from start to finish. Adding a slew of covers, as well as original material allow Cullum to not only show off his chops as a writer, but also to give justice to those who influenced him throughout the years. Covering artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Cole Porter, Jeff Buckley, Radiohead always comes with a risk. Fans of these artists will gauge closely to see if the cover holds up to the original.
"The only reason I would take a break would be to write more songs and work on new music. I'm always writing stuff, and I travel with my own little music set-up. You have to keep creative otherwise you go crazy." -Cullum
As much as I am a fan of Cullum's renditions, his original material (sometimes co-written by his brother Ben Cullum) is what resonated with me. "These Are The Days", "Twentysomething", "All At Sea" are the tunes that I am bopping my head to and the ones that I am singing at the desk long after the headphones have been taken off. The lyrical content for songs also seems to fit the theme. The self titled song reminds me of myself in the first stretch of my twenties, deciding what to do and which path to follow.
"Maybe I'll go traveling for a year
Finding myself, or start a career
Could work the poor, though I'm hungry for fame
We all seem so different but we're just the same."
The one thing I have seen as a common in his songs (like most people in their 'twenty something' stage) is LOVE. All you need is love right? haha
All At Sea:
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea
Now I need you more than ever, I need you more than ever, now
These Are The Days:
I've thought you said that love would last forever
Leave and that the tears would end for good
I told you that we get through any weather
Maybe that didn't work out
But we did the best we could
The other nice thing about Twentysomething is that it can be atmosphere music in multiple environments. I have been known to play this on random weekend afternoons for cleaning, while at my day job, parties and even on my health kick of running/walking/biking. So in conclusion, I feel this will appeal to most age groups. Whether young or old, jazz or rock, Cullum's cover says it best... "I get a kick out of you".
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You can also check out other notable reviews of Twentysomething:Yet Cullum isn't all about cover versions. His own material (and that of his brother Ben) stands up well here - indeed both the title track and the breezily optimistic It's About Time are the highlights of the album. The Cullum Brother's lyrics are mostly light-hearted accounts of the travails and tribulations of twenty-something males, while All At Sea is a touching autobiographical tale of Cullum's loneliness while playing on cruise ships. -Music OMH
Cullum works best when he's not trying too hard to please hardcore jazz aficionados, but it's not too difficult to imagine his bonus-track version of Pharrell Williams' "Frontin'" turning some jazz fans onto the Neptunes. 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. -All Music
He may have a million pound record deal now, but Jamie hasn't sold out. Resisting the temptation to lavish the cash on major changes, he's continued to invest wisely in great musicians and tasty arrangements. -BBC Music
Twentysomething is also very shrewdly produced (by George Benson and BB King producer Stewart Levine) to keep the more luxurious of additional instruments (strings, flutes, horn ensembles) in a subtly supportive role that always leaves Cullum's forthright, unadorned and already characterful voice way out in front. -The Guardian
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