A prodigiously talented young jazz musician, 24-year old Cullum raised eyebrows when he was signed to Universal Records last year for a million pounds – a figure not unusual in the pop world but unheard of for an unknown jazz artist. Much of the appeal has to be down to his youth and boy-band good looks, but Cullum, already a veteran of the youth jazz orchestra scene and prestigious venues like Ronnie Scott’s, has talent to burn and wastes no time proving it on his major label debut.
Sounding not unlike like his US counterpart Harry Connick Jr., Cullum tackles standards such as ‘What A Difference A Day Makes’, ‘Old Devil Moon’ and Cole Porter’s ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’ with ease. His assured singing is heavily influenced by legendary crooners including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme, while his deft piano playing adds even more weight to his reputation as a serious musician.
The songs – a mix of covers with a handful of originals – are chosen presumably to showcase his versatility. Though he sounds a tad too much like Billy Joel on ‘These Are The Days’, a version of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Wind Cries Mary’ and, even more surprisingly, a take on Jeff Buckley’s ‘Lover, You Should Have Come Over’ demonstrate his willingness to branch out beyond the confines of jazz. Of the originals ‘All At Sea’, and the album’s closer ‘Next Year Baby’ both come across as ready-made classics marking Cullum out as a potentially huge star of the future.